wireless charging

Power up with a pair of Polaroid wireless charging stands

By

Power up with the Polaroid wireless charging stand 2-Pack.
Get two iPhone-compatible wireless charging stands for just $19.99.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With a wireless charging stand, you can juice up your iPhone while simultaneously using it as a second screen. That makes a wireless charger the ultimate multitasking accessory. And you can score two Qi-compatible charging stands from Polaroid now for one low price — $19.99.

Bet you wish your iPhone could charge this fast

By

With a 100W of wireless charging, the Honor Magic 4 Pro powers up fast.
With a 100W of wireless charging, the Honor Magic 4 Pro powers up fast.
Photo: Honor

With the right charger, your iPhone 12 or 13 can top up pretty fast. But can it charge to 50% capacity in 15 minutes, wirelessly? Nope. But that’s what former Huawei sub-brand Honor promised Monday at MWC 2022 with its latest flagship handset, the Honor Magic 4 Pro.

Fast charging with iPhone runs about half the speed Honor claims. And though we doubt many folks would ditch their iPhones for the Honor Magic Pro 4, who knows if they’ll be able to get one, anyway. The company hasn’t specified a release date or where the phones will sell.

Samsung beats Apple to truly wireless charging over Wi-Fi waves

By

Samsung Eco Remote with Wi-Fi wireless charging
Its new TV remote uses your router to stay charged.
Photo: Samsung

Despite Apple’s lengthy and ongoing efforts to deliver much-improved charging technologies, archrival Samsung has beaten Cupertino in the race for truly wireless charging. Except you won’t find it in a smartphone … yet.

The South Korean company’s next-generation TV remote — announced this week ahead of CES 2022 — cleverly uses radio waves emitted from your Wi-Fi router to stay topped up so you don’t have to worry about charging it.

Quit cords once and for all with this 4-in-1 wireless charging hub

By

Cut the cord and grab this all-in-one charging hub.
Top up all your Apple devices at once with this $60 charging hub.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You shouldn’t need to buy a separate charger for each of your devices. Instead of fighting to keep cords untangled and constantly juggling devices between a limited number of chargers, take a look at the Fast Charge 4-in-1 Wireless Charging Hub. This charging hub can power four devices at once, and it’s on sale for $59.99 (regularly $99).

iPad mini set for big redesign, while MagSafe makes its way to iPad Pro

By

There’s more 2021 iPad Pro RAM than in any previous Apple tablet.
Apple wants to keep its iPad line hot coming out of the pandemic.
Photo: Apple

Apple is planning some exciting new additions for its iPad line. According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to bring wireless charging to the iPad Pro, along with the first iPad mini redesign in six years.

The wireless charging iPad will supposedly debut in 2022. The redesigned iPad mini — complete with narrower bezels and possible removed Home button — will meanwhile arrive later this year.

Pick up 4 sleek, versatile charging accessories now on sale

By

Chargin Sale Main
Save on a whole range of charging gear, from wireless hubs to laptop-ready backup batteries and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

More devices means more trouble keeping everything charged. These four Mac and iPhone accessories will give you all the power you need, no matter your situation (assuming you’re not a supervillain hell-bent on world destruction).

Wirelessly charge your iPhone and declutter your desk all at once

By

Qi Charging Desk Stand
This combination case and wireless charging stand makes for quick, convenient charging and less clutter.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Qi wireless charging makes topping off an iPhone as easy as setting it down on the table. It’s quick and simple, but there are ways to get better use out of your phone while it charges. With this combination case and stand, you can declutter your desk at the same time.

Ring of magnets could make iPhone 12’s wireless charging easier

By

iphone x
Wireless charging could be easier on iPhone 12.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new iPhone 12 chassis could include a mysterious circular array of 36 magnets inside its chassis, possibly to help with wireless charging, suggest new images posted to Weibo and shared by the EverythingApplePro Twitter account.

Apple has yet to release a native wireless charger for iPhone. Its most notable move in this direction was the AirPower wireless charging mat, which was announced by Apple and then canceled. Rumors since then suggest that Apple might be continuing work on the project.

Apple AirPower replacement might come in large and small sizes

By

AirPower
Apple might be prepping a smaller wireless charger to go with the rumored multi-device version.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple will release a single-device wireless charging pad in addition to the larger, multi-device mat rumored to be much like the doomed AirPower, according to an unconfirmed report Sunday.

The latest rumors come a year after Apple canceled the AirPower wireless charger the company announced in 2017 without ever releasing it.

AirPower wireless charging pad project reignited with A11 chip to manage heat issues

By

This sleek wireless charging pad can juice up a Qi-enabled iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods all at once.
Apple is reportedly working on a new design of its charging pad that controls heat.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple is working on a totally re-designed, wireless charging pad with the ability to route power to exact areas to prevent overheating, according to Front Page Tech analyst Jon Prosser.

Prosser reported Friday that engineers on Apple’s Sharing and Proximity team and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic recently received prototype units of something called “C68”. AirPower isn’t mentioned by name, but descriptions and details appear to match Apple’s failed charging mat.

New Huawei tablet adds features iPad owners can only dream about

By

Huawei MatePad Pro is like an iPad Pro, but cheaper
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Huawei is outrageously flattering the iPad Pro.
Photo: Huawei

Huawei added cutting-edge features to its iPad Pro rival. A MatePad Pro update includes 5G built-in cellular-wireless networking. And it offers two-way wireless charging, so the tablet can send power to another device.

These features were added to a device clearly made to resemble Apple’s top-tier iPad.

Scoshe BaseLynx wireless charging system becomes Apple Store exclusive

By

Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System Pro Kit is four chargers in one.
The Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System isn’t identical to AirPower, but it does the same thing.
Photo: Scosche

The Scoshe BaseLynx modular charging system just became an Apple Store exclusive. This can wirelessly power an iPhone and an  Apple Watch, and it has slots to hold several iPads or iPhones while they charge.

It not the only such multi-device charger that Apple offers to customers in the wake of its botched attempt to create its own AirPower charger.

Keep your PopGrip on with this wireless charger

By

PopPower
PopPower Home Charger in Cosmic Cloud
Photo: PopSockets

CES 2020PopSockets was a wildly successful brand that was in danger of losing its grip.

Wireless charging is becoming a standard feature in smartphones and the stick-on PopGrip it created for reducing drops suddenly looked like an unintended battery barrier.

But the company finally figured out a way forward in the emerging wireless world with a round wireless charging pad with a hole in the middle.

Tap your AirPods Pro case to check if it’s charged

By

AirPods supplier confident of booming business through 2021
Tap the AirPods Pro battery case to show the charge status LED.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The AirPods Pro come in a Qi-enabled wireless charging case, which means you can just drop it onto a charging mat, grab them a while later, and everything is topped up and ready to go. But the LED indicator on the case blinks off soon after you start charging. What’s up? How do you find out if your AirPods are full yet?

Elegant wall-mounted charger turns iPhones into art

By

MagEZ Bar from Pitaka
Wireless charging that's pretty as a picture hanging on a wall.
Photo: Pitaka

There are wall-to-wall alternatives on the market for what was supposed to be AirPower. One actually mounts to the wall and looks like a piece of art while it charges multiple devices.

The MagEZ Bar from Pitaka charges two phones simultaneously. It holds them in place with strong magnets that easily align the phones or AirPods with the charging coils. To the right of the charging coils, a hidden magnetic array provides a space for keys or AirPods.

iPhone 11 supposedly is capable of two-way wireless charging

By

iPhone-11-vs-11-Pro
There's still hope for two-way wireless charging.
Photo: Apple

One feature we expected but didn’t get from the iPhone 11 lineup is two-way wireless charging. But Apple could surprise us with it later.

A new rumor claims the 2019 iPhones come with the necessary hardware, but Apple disabled the functionality in iOS. If true, Apple could activate the feature for iPhone 11 owners at a later date.

iPhone 11’s Apple logo will shift for big new feature

By

iPhone 11 Max leaning on fence post
No, it won't look like this.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The Apple logo on the back of this year’s iPhone 11 lineup will shift to make way for a brand new feature, according to a new report.

The logo won’t disappear, but it will be perfectly centered for the first time in the iPhone’s history. The change will allow for a huge upgrade in wireless charging functionality.

Zens’ 16-coil wireless charger fills the AirPower gap

By

Zens Liberty
Place iPhone and Androids anywhere on the Zens Liberty to wirelessly charge them.
Photo: Zens

The Zens Liberty is designed to overcome one of wireless charging’s hassles: it won’t be necessary to carefully arrange the handset on this pad thanks to its 16 charging coils.

This was one of the promises of Apple’s AirPower, but packing too many coiled into a small pad reportedly caused such such problems with excess heat that this product was eventually cancelled.

What to expect from next month’s iPhone 11 refresh

By

what-to-expect-iPhone-11
Here are all the things we think Apple has up its sleeve.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The 2019 iPhone lineup is just weeks away from getting its grand unveiling. And according to recent rumors, it could be a lot more exciting than we first anticipated.

Faster chips and an extra camera sensor may not be the only reasons to upgrade this year. Two-way wireless charging, improved Face ID, and Apple Pencil support could also be on Apple’s list.

Here’s everything we expect from next month’s iPhone refresh.

OtterSpot’s new stacking batteries take wireless charging to fresh heights

By

OtterBox OtterSpot
The OtterSpot Charging Base can power multiple OtterBox Wireless Charging Batteries and a device at the same time.
Photo: OtterBox

The OtterSpot is a new twist on mobile wireless charging. It starts with a base station sending current to a portable battery that has built-in Qi inductive charging. This battery powers up an iPhone or Android, either at home or one the go. Multiple batteries can be stacked and charged at once.

The company behind this new system is OtterBox, well known for its rugged phone and tablet cases.

Apple Card and wireless charging don’t play well together

By

Apple Card with iPhone
A wireless charger can’t send power to this iPhone through an Apple Card.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The end might be near for iPhone cases with slots to hold credit cards now that the Apple Card is starting to roll out. Not because this new credit card will make them unnecessary, but because tests by Cult of Mac show that putting an Apple Card in one of these wallet cases blocks the iPhone inside from wireless charging.

Fans of this type of case will need to decide how much they want Apple’s new credit card, or if they‘re willing to give up on wireless charging.