Interested in Qi wireless charging for $8.88?
One of the things I really did love about my last phone setup was the Qi wireless charging ability. No, my M8 didn’t have Qi charging, my wireless charging was provided by an after-market USB plugin that doesn’t quite work if you’re running your phone naked, which I am these days.
Back when I was starting into the charging market we were looking at $30-50 for a charging plate and about $9 for an aftermarket adapter, and after that $40 investment you were faced with the realization that you now had to purchase more for the office, car, etc.
But they’re ridiculously inexpensive now, due in part to a few phone manufacturers spending a lot of money advertising Qi charging these days, and also due to the technology cycle (it gets out, has an MSRP of $100, it’s $20 within a year).
So with that in mind, here are some Qi chargers for under $20 that can get you into the game:
- Anker Wireless Charger PowerPort – $11.99
- PowerBot® PB1020 Qi Enabled Wireless Charger – $10.99 (I own two of these)
- GMYLE Mini Qi Charging Pad – $10.98
- Kosee xO9 Qi Charger w/dual USB Ports – $11.99
- Generic Universal Round Qi Charger for Phone – $4.99 (ooh, for Phone, really!?)
- JUNTONG Mini Practical Qi Wireless Charging Pad Charger – $5.25
- SheenRoad Qi Charger Pad with Receiver Kit for Apple iPhone – $7.99
- Qi Wireless Power Charger Mini Charge Pad – $3.89
If you don’t have native Qi charging capability, you’ll also need an adapter such as one of these:
- KingMas® Universal Qi Wireless Charging Receiver Card for 5-Pin Micro USB Android Mobile Phone (both port types, so make sure you choose which one you have) – $4.99 1amp/~700mA real
- Universal QI Wireless Charging Receiver micro-USB Android Mobile – $10.99 1.5amp/~1amp real
So there you have it – you can convert an iPhone into a wireless charging device (including base) for eight bucks, or get an Android phone charging just by setting it down for as little as $3.89 if you’ve got Qi built in, or for as little as $8.88 if you don’t.
Of course, the quality of a $3.89 charger may come into question, but from what I can tell having purchased quite a few of the $30 range devices last year these are the same thing, and as of right now I’ve only had one blow out on me.
Sadly, the Qi chargers with Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 are not under $10 yet, nor do they have a universal adapter as far as I can tell… wait a week or two, I’m betting they will be soon enough.
