TYLT VU-SOLO Wireless Charger review
The TYLT VU-SOLO Wireless Charger is a one-amp Qi spec charging mat with an adjustable alignment ledge to line up any device perfectly, regardless of where the wireless charging spot is on your device.
The VU-SOLO has a solid green charging indicator that acts as a nightlight. In my case I’d prefer to cover it up with tape, but it’s not as obnoxious as several blinking versions I’ve seen lately in wireless chargers.
Conversely, there are no indications the pad is plugged in and ready if it’s not charging a device, which I have found a little useful in some situations. Not a deal breaker though.
The surface charge area seems pretty large. I was able to move my phone around on it quite a bit and it was charging across most of it. This makes the adjustable charging ledge a bit less useful for me. I started wondering what good a charging ledge was and then I noticed it’s also got adhesive tape on the back of the unit so if you want to put it on a drafting board you could probably keep the phone held on via the adjustable ledge.
Not having a drafting board about, I can’t determine much other than it takes more weight than a phone to move the adjustable ledge about.
Were it an all-in-one package, I might be more enthused about the thing, but you’re left to find a 1.8amp charger to power the thing. It might worry me a bit that it wants a 1.8 to push 1.0 out if I didn’t know how abysmal charging rates listed to charging rates achieve were. I think they’re erring on the side of caution.
Keep in mind if your phone charges at +400mAh on Wall Charger X, if you use that wall charger for powering this device you’re probably going to see lower charge rates than being directly plugged in. If I remember correctly there’s usually an 8% loss in conversion where Qi flings electricity through the ether like Thor throwing Mjolnir.
Coming in at an MSRP of $49.99 and potentially requiring the purchase of another higher amp charger this starts feeling pretty costly quick.
As for the device, it does what it says it will and charges quickly. The charger feels like it’s over-manufactured and could take a beating. It doesn’t appear to heat up much during a charge. Doesn’t really stand out from the competition much (the alignment ledge isn’t a make or break feature for me,) which is a shame because I’ve really enjoyed most of their other products.
The TYLT VU-SOLO Wireless Charger is available from Amazon for $39.99