Most people dread receiving the low-battery alert on their smartphone while driving, especially if they depend on it for navigation.
Your phone definitely doesn’t last very long between charges if you depend on battery-draining apps like Google Maps or Waze to go about. No matter how far your journey takes you, it is a good idea to have a wireless car charger on ready so you never again find yourself around the dreadful 10% mark.
WHAT TO THINK ABOUT
Please take caution when installing a wireless car charger in your car because distracted driving is dangerous and smartphone use is one of the distractions that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration points to as a contributing factor in fatal crashes the most. There are a few considerations you should make while choosing the best wireless car charger for your need.
Charging Rates
Wireless chargers sacrifice speed for convenience, so a brief journey will only provide a little boost in power. Nevertheless, none of our tested selections can match the speed of a 12-volt accessory plug in a car (the cigarette lighter) or your home wall charger.
MagSafe Versus Qi Qi, which is pronounced “chee,” is a wireless charging standard used by the majority of wireless car chargers to recharge smartphones. It normally takes 1.5 hours for your device to reach 50% battery life.
With a variety of built-in magnets that let compatible accessories like wallets and charging stands to easily clip onto your phone’s back, MagSafe is the quickest way to wirelessly charge your iPhone. An hour will add 50% more battery life, which is half as fast as a cable charging.
mounting type
Getting directions, taking calls, and streaming music are all made simpler and safer when your smartphone is installed in your car. You must choose the mounting method for your device.
Dash and Windshield Mounts: These mounts attach to the dashboard or windshield of your car using suction cups or sticky pads. However, some jurisdictions have strong rules against blocking the windshield.
Vent Mounts: This style of mount fits into the dash vents for the A/C or heating in your car. The good news is that vent mounts can prevent overheating on your phone when the air conditioning is running. Is that terrible news? They are less durable, may break the slats in your vent, and obstruct the airflow that you need to stay cool or warm.
CD-Player Mount: If your car still has a CD player, you can mount your device safely using one of the wireless car chargers that you can place in the CD slot.
You must also decide whether the mount will physically hold your phone in place or whether it will employ magnets. Since the magnetized variants (assuming you don’t have MagSafe) require you to store a magnet in your phone case or connect one to the rear of your smartphone, I prefer grip mounts.
Brandon Carte Source of Power
Finally, not every one of our suggested choices comes with a power adapter that you may use to connect the wireless charger’s connection to. The Nekteck PD 45W Type-C Car Charger, which conveniently includes a USB cable and enables some of the fastest charging rates, is my suggestion if one isn’t already present. While you’re at it, be sure to read our complete guide to the best USB vehicle chargers!
OUR TEST METHODS
I utilized a few wireless car chargers over a lengthy cross-country travel to determine how dependable they would be for charging my iPhone and Android handsets. I used the following criteria to select each of the choices below:
What is the mount’s strength?
Does it firmly hold smartphones?
Is it simple to use to mount and unmount your phone?
Does a phone that has a case on still charge?
Even on uneven ground, does it keep your phone stable?
Does it endure prolonged exposure to the sun’s extreme heat?
Choose your next favorite car charger from the carefully considered options listed below to keep your smartphone more visible and more easily available for when you need to use it quickly while driving.
1 Wireless Auto Sense Car Charger
Mount revolves and expands for ideal viewing
Clamps easily open and close on their own
utilizes microUSB rather than USB-C
Key Features: • Bundled power adapter: yes • Warranty: two years • Maximum power output: 7.5 watts for iPhone, 10 watts for Android
One of the most adaptable automobile charging mounts available is the iOttie Auto Sense. To handle smartphones of all sizes, from the small-screen iPhone 13 mini to the gigantic Galaxy S22+, its claw grasp automatically and considerably widens. You can easily make sure that the charging coils on your smartphone line up with the charger’s coil by lowering the two feet at the bottom of the device.
This Qi charger is offered in a variety of variations and comes highly recommended by my coworkers at Car and Driver. There are models that attach to the AC vent in your car, others that adhere to the dashboard or windshield, and yet more that fit in the cupholder.
I adore how the mount rotates and lets you use your phone in both portrait and landscape orientations. Its arm’s ability to extend while you drive allows you to move your phone closer to you as well as higher or lower. My examinations revealed that the arm’s length ranges from 5 to 8 inches.
The iOttie is robust and had enough juice to charge my phone even with a bulky Otterbox protection on. It also comes with a long micro-USB charging cord and a 2-year warranty.
The charging wire for the ESR HaloLock Magnetic Wireless Car Charger is detachable.
A less priced MagSafe charger might have a faster charging rate
Key Elements
• 7.5 watts of maximum power output
No power adaptor is included. One-year warranty.
2 ESR HaloLock charger
I suggest the stunningly stylish to owners of iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 series iPhones. It is the initial choice that is compatible with Apple’s new MagSafe technology.
With this practical MagSafe charger, no further attachments are required, unlike other magnetic mounts that call for you to affix adhesive magnets to the back of your phone or inside a case. The ESR’s magnets proved to be really powerful throughout my tests; it even functioned with my iPhone mini in a case.
ESR manufactures a charger model that attaches to the air conditioning vent in your car, or you may select a another kind that uses a suction attachment that you attach to your dashboard or windshield. For those who reside in hotter climates, ESR has introduced a new model that features an integrated fan.
It’s important to note that this car charger only comes with a USB cable and not a car charging adapter. It only offers around half of what Apple’s official MagSafe charger does, but considering that it’s one of the most reasonably priced and robust MagSafe-style chargers on the market, I still believe it’s worthwhile to purchase.
3 Magnetic Wireless Dash & Windshield Mounts from Velox
very flexible mount
Suction cup is very robust.
USB cord cannot be removed.
Expensive
Key Specifications Maximum power output: 7.5 watts; included power adapter: Yes; two-year warranty
The Velox is the newest wireless car charger from iOttie. The Velox depends on a circular arrangement of seven strong magnets rather than a claw-like grasp. The charger has a telescopic arm and a suction-cup style mount that you can attach to your dashboard or windshield, just like the iOttie Auto Sense that it replaces.
Compared to other wireless chargers, the Volox is considerably more streamlined and simple to use because all you need to do is hand your iPhone over to it. I like that the wireless charger has a softer silicone casing so that my iPhone is less likely to get scratched. Additionally, the suction cup is very strong. Best of all, because your phone’s magnets are so powerful, you won’t need to check to make sure it is secure or worry about wireless charging coils being out of alignment.
It’s also important to note that this charger was created especially for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series of devices because they have magnets, although it only performs to half the extent of Apple’s official MagSafe charger.
Although I was pleased to discover a 12-volt USB-C power adaptor was provided, I wish the USB connection could be removed for my own peace of mind in the event that it were to break. Thankfully, iOttie offers a strong 2-year warranty for the charger.
4 A phone holder and 10-watt fast wireless car charger
sufficient for large-screen phones
discourages texting while driving
No way to remove the power wire
Key Features: • Bundled power adapter: yes • Warranty: two years • Maximum power output: 7.5 watts for iPhone, 10 watts for Android
The ZealSound is a wireless vehicle charger that I recommend if you’d like store your phone in your center console rather than a dock, as almost all wireless car chargers are. Because it is one of the few chargers that allows you to lay your phone flat, you won’t be distracted when operating a motor vehicle.
When constructing this charger, ZealSound took even the smallest considerations into account. You won’t need to be concerned if you unintentionally spill your morning coffee on it because it is water-resistant. It has a silicone-gel bottom, a rapid charging plug, a USB cord, and a half-inch tall border to contain your phone and prevent it from sliding all over the place.
5 Car Mount Mag Fit Phone Holder
outlines a route to the quickest charging rates
possesses a useful vent clip
Separately available is the MagSafe cable.
Expensive
Features: N/A; 2 years of warranty; no power adaptor included; maximum power output; N/A;
Unfortunately, there is currently no official, MFi-approved MagSafe car charger as of the time of publication. Only MFi-approved devices can benefit from MagSafe’s quicker 15-watt charging speeds, which are twice as fast as Qi charging. MFi stands for “Made for iPod, Made for iPhone, and Made for iPad.”
Spigen has produced a holder for Apple’s official MagSafe charger to make up for the dearth of MFi-certified car chargers. To reach the fastest speeds over MagSafe, the holder contains a vent clip that you can attach to the air conditioning vent in your car. The MagSafe cable, which is tucked within the holder, magnetically connects to your iPhone.
Sadly, neither the necessary USB-C car charger nor the MagSafe cable are provided. But choosing this holder and the necessary components might well be worth the outlay if you want the best speeds (just over 30% of battery life in a half-hour).
A Different Wireless Car Charger We looked at using a black line break.
A USB-C cable and a 4-foot power adapter are easily included with the Belkin BOOSTCHARGE magnetic wireless car charger. Many customers, particularly those who had cases on their iPhones, complained that the magnet wasn’t powerful and that their phone regularly came loose from the mount. Seeing that the mount only charges at 10 watts when the majority of Belkin’s other attachments support quicker 15-watt speeds further upset me.
Even though it’s been around for a few years, the iOttie Easy One Touch 2 wireless car charger is still for sale. It may not automatically open and close after pressing a button like the newer Auto Sense type, but it still gives comparable charging speeds and is frequently less expensive. You may need to physically insert and adjust its claw and cradle to dock and remove your phone. It has a power adapter and a MicroUSB cable that is attached.
If you want a magnetic-style attachment but don’t have an iPhone with MagSafe, the iOttie iTap 2 Magnetic Qi Wireless Car Charger is a good option. The accompanying magnets, which must be aligned using a placement guide, proved to be powerful throughout my tests (so long as you have a thin case). The iTap 2 is only offered for your car’s AC vents, which isn’t as stable as the iTap two magnetic mounts in the CD-slot and dash-mount styles that have since been discontinued.
SCOSCHE Qi Wireless Vent FreeFlow Wireless Car Charger—Despite being reliable and durable over time, SCOSCHE’s chargers didn’t charge my devices as quickly as iOttie’s chargers did in my testing. When they used it for extended periods, they too became warm. Fortunately, if the charger becomes too hot, it will turn off automatically.
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