Bezalel Wireless Charging Accessories REVIEW
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A couple of months ago, when Apple announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, I found myself to be a bit sad. You see, I have an iPhone 7 and was not planning to upgrade this year, but I’ve been desperately wanting wireless charging as a function. I’ve tried third-party cases in the past, but have found them to be very substandard. With the iPhone, you have to have a connection between the Lightning port and the case in order for charging to take place and most wireless charging cases are designed so that the Lightning plug is located inside the case. This means that you have to completely remove the case in order to connect your iPhone to any other Lightning device or cable. I don’t particularly like this because it limits you as to what you can use with your phone. The other issue I’ve had with wireless charging cases is heat. They get far too hot when charging the iPhone and I’ve even had phones shut down on me before. Because I’ve not had good luck with wireless charging cases, I thought I was doomed to live a wireless charging-free life until I could upgrade my phone hardware. Fortunately, technology company Bezalel provides fabulous wireless charging solutions for every type of user.
Bezalel operates under the mission of “wireless power — anytime — anywhere.” The company wants to provide an ‘omnipresent’ wireless charging experience for all users. We are passionate about creating an ecosystem of the highest quality wireless charging experience. When I first Googled ‘Bezalel’ looking for their website, I found out that Bezalel was a chief artisan in the Bible and was actually the person in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant. The technology company obviously took the name of ‘Bezalel’ with this in mind because they call out the definition of the word as “a term that represents the pursuit of artistry, workmanship, and intelligence.” I found this quite interesting since the name is so unusual and I was happy to find a connection.
So, now that you know a little about the company, let me dive right into the products I’ve been testing out. I’ve been using three of their devices to create a wire-free charging environment for myself in my car and at work. The first piece to the puzzle is the case for my phone. While Bezalel has a few case options for iPhone users, I’ve been using the Latitude case for the iPhone 7. The case wraps around the iPhone easily and provides a nice protective backing for the phone. The Apple logo is covered, but the cutout for the camera lens has a nice recess so that if the phone were to fall, the lens wouldn’t make contact with a surface. There is a very small lip around the screen of the phone, which does provide some protection against falls, but I would still likely use a screen protector for scratches and cracks. The case is designed to be ultra-slim and will withstand daily use.
One of the most powerful features of the Latitude charging case is its magnetic alignment power. There is a magnet hidden within the case that works symbiotically with the Bezalel Future X charging pad, which I will give more detail on in a moment. The magnetic alignment power guides your phone to the optimal charging spot on the charging pad every time. It doesn’t matter how you set it on the pad. The phone will readjust to the proper place for charging. To me, this is great because it truly becomes a set-it-and-forget-it charging option.
The other feature of this case that I LOVE is the open bottom end and external Lightning plug. As I mentioned above, the charging cases that contain the Lightning cable/port inside the case make it impossible to use other accessories unless you remove the case. Well, Bezalel provided a wonderfully simple solution to this problem with the Latitude case. The Lightning plug extends outwardly from the case on a sturdy plastic connector. This allows you to easily connect your phone to the case, or unplug it and use it elsewhere. This makes the Latitude case both functional and practical for standard daily use.
In addition to the Latitude case, I’ve been using the Futura X charging pad at work and the Omnia wireless car charger during my daily commute. The Futura X is an awesome wireless charging pad for tabletop use. I personally use it on my desk at work, but it could easily be used on a nightstand or side table, too. The charging pad is very slim and measures 3.5″ x 3.5″ square. The base of it is encased in aluminum and it connects to power using a Micro USB plug. It’s very lightweight and could travel quite easily.
Even though I’m using it with an iPhone 7, the Future X will work with any Qi-compatible mobile device. It’s designed to work with the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, too. I’ve been using the Futura X to charge my phone at work now for a couple of weeks and I’ve been very happy with its performance. Typically, wireless charging takes longer than standard cable charging, but I’ve noticed that the Futura X does a very efficient job of powering up my iPhone. Within about 4 minutes, 1% battery power was gained. During that time, I was streaming music through Pandora and connected to my AirPods, too.
When I first place the phone inside the Latitude case on the charging pad, it takes a few seconds for the phone to register that it’s connected, but once it does, it charges well. I have noticed that every once in a while, the charging connection will be interrupted and I’ll get the notification on my screen that the phone is charging like it was just connected. I’m not sure what causes this since there is nothing touching the phone while it’s charging.
My daily commute is approximately 10 minutes one-way from home to work. It’s far shorter than some, but there are times that I need that 10 minutes to grab a quick charge for my phone. If it’s a busy evening and I’ve not had a chance to power up before leaving work, those few moments in the car can mean the difference between a live phone and a dead phone. Again, Bezalel knew this to be a factor in people’s lives and they provided iPhone 6/7 users a spectacular option for car charging with the Latitude case — the Omnia car charger.
This charger uses the same magnetic power that the Latitude case does and it securely holds your smartphone in place to keep it charged while you drive. The mount fits gently into your car vent and swivels 360-degrees for your comfort. There is a charging cable that extends from the charging pad to the USB car charger that Bezalel includes, but it can easily be controlled with cable clips so that you have a mess-free charging solution in your vehicle. Bezalel designed the Omnia to intake power through a USB-C connection. While I prefer this to some other charging options out there, I find it odd that the Omnia uses USB-C while the Futura X still uses Micro USB.
As much as I love the Omnia charger, there are just a couple of things I would improve on. First, I had the same interrupted power issue with the Omnia as I did with the Futura X charging pad. I can understand it a bit more in the car though because it’s constantly in motion. I can understand vibrations throwing the charging off, but it’s something I thought I should note. I always felt that my phone was securely in place while on the mount, but still saw those charging errors. The other thing I would look at a little more closely is the clamp holds the mount on the air vent. Again, the mount was secure, but I had some issues with it moving around when I tried to turn the phone towards me. If the mechanism can be modified to be a stronger hold on the vent, that would make this a home run with me.
Even though I may have had some ideas for improvements, I love the products I’ve been using from Bezalel. I think they are innovative, useful, and now they are a part of my daily life. They have given me wireless charging for my non-wireless charging phone. This is a great feature addition for iPhone users as it ends up making your life just a bit easier.
BUY LATITUDE FROM AMAZON
BUY FUTURA X FROM AMAZON
For more information, visit bezalel.co.
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Originally published at macsources.com on November 27, 2017.
