What are the Pros and Cons of wireless charging?

[chris mackenzy]

Pros and Cons of wireless charging

Any user who want to guide me about pros and cons of wireless charging, an emerging technology nowadays.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Pros and Cons of wireless charging

Pros:
No wires, just drop the phone on the plate.
Saves wear and tear on the connector.

Cons:
Slightly more heat, so it may shorten the battery lifespan just a bit.
Lower charging current.
No real standard yet - there are two common methods, Qi and Powermat. (A4WP is in there too, with Rezence, but I don't think they're going to last.)


I use both. Normally I leave the phone on the Qi pad overnight when it needs charging, but if I need a quick charge I use the wall charger.

 

[Gunny94]

Re: Pros and Cons of wireless charging

Been using both for quite some time.

I use wireless all the time at home/work. Only switch to cable if I need super charge done (Note 4 user here)

 

[Neo_ii_Droid]

Re: Pros and Cons of wireless charging

Pros:
No wires, just drop the phone on the plate.
Saves wear and tear on the connector.

Cons:
Slightly more heat, so it may shorten the battery lifespan just a bit.
Lower charging current.
No real standard yet - there are two common methods, Qi and Powermat. (A4WP is in there too, with Rezence, but I don't think they're going to last.)


I use both. Normally I leave the phone on the Qi pad overnight when it needs charging, but if I need a quick charge I use the wall charger.

On that "slightly more heat" part, what is the should the average/normal/safe battery temperature be at when charging both with cable and wirelessly?

While it's been said that 'heat is the enemy of batteries,' and I can understand it depends on one's usage and frequency of charging, what is the "battery lifespan" when wireless charging versus fast charging via cable? Is it marginal?

I'm curious about this since I'd like to explore the wireless charging aspect for the SGN.IV.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: Pros and Cons of wireless charging

If the charging receiver (the main source of heat in wireless charging) is on the rear cover, and not touching the battery, it can get a lot hotter than if it's an aftermarket receiver pressed against the battery. If it's one of those external "plug into the charging port" receivers, it's almost moot, since most of the heat from the receiver will dissipate in the air. The temperature we're concerned with is the battery temperature - the receiver can get hot enough to melt its solder joints, as long as the battery stays cool.

The permissible charging temperatures - at the battery - are [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F)[/FONT]. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For best results, charge between 10°C and 30°C (50°F and 86°F)[/FONT] - at the battery. (That's the temperature you'll get from battery temperature apps.)

Qualcom "fast charging" is actually normal 1C charging. (Most phones charge at well below the normal rate.) The battery lifespan is probably measurably less when charging at 1C than when charging at 0.3C in the phone, but you'd have to run identical batteries through months of testing to measure that difference - it's small. Wireless charging is normal phone charging (my phone charges at 1200mA from the wall charger, and 640mA on wireless or USB 2.0) - the only difference is the heat absorbed by the battery from the charging receiver. If that's kept low, the effect is negligible. (I've been charging my Note 3 both ways for a long time - wireless when I'm charging overnight, to save wear and tear on the port, wired if I need a fast charge before going out - and I haven't noticed any degradation in battery capacity. And the receiver is pressed up against the battery.)

 

[Neo_ii_Droid]

Re: Pros and Cons of wireless charging

If the charging receiver (the main source of heat in wireless charging) is on the rear cover, and not touching the battery, it can get a lot hotter than if it's an aftermarket receiver pressed against the battery. If it's one of those external "plug into the charging port" receivers, it's almost moot, since most of the heat from the receiver will dissipate in the air. The temperature we're concerned with is the battery temperature - the receiver can get hot enough to melt its solder joints, as long as the battery stays cool.

The permissible charging temperatures - at the battery - are 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F). For best results, charge between 10°C and 30°C (50°F and 86°F) - at the battery. (That's the temperature you'll get from battery temperature apps.)

Qualcom "fast charging" is actually normal 1C charging. (Most phones charge at well below the normal rate.) The battery lifespan is probably measurably less when charging at 1C than when charging at 0.3C in the phone, but you'd have to run identical batteries through months of testing to measure that difference - it's small. Wireless charging is normal phone charging (my phone charges at 1200mA from the wall charger, and 640mA on wireless or USB 2.0) - the only difference is the heat absorbed by the battery from the charging receiver. If that's kept low, the effect is negligible. (I've been charging my Note 3 both ways for a long time - wireless when I'm charging overnight, to save wear and tear on the port, wired if I need a fast charge before going out - and I haven't noticed any degradation in battery capacity. And the receiver is pressed up against the battery.)

Thank you for this information. I'll have to keep this "bookmarked" somehow and come back to it from time-to-time.