Mophie Dual and 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pads REVIEW | Mac Sources
Mophie Dual and 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pads
10
The best wireless charging pads on the market. Period.
When it comes to charging I always look to Mophie before anyone else. Every time I head out to take photos I always include a Mophie battery in my camera bag. So when Mophie shared that they had wireless charging pads, I was all in. Currently, Mophie has a selection of wireless charging pads ranging from 5W to 10W — the Wireless Charging Pad, the Charge Stream Pad+, and the Charge Stream Pad Mini. Now, Mophie had added to the collection of charging pads with two new units — the 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad and Dual Wireless Charging Pad. Both devices take the place of Apple’s AirPower charging mat, which was announced, but never released. Apple’s decision to kill that project left an open opportunity for Mophie to crush the wireless charging game with these two awesome devices.
DETAILS & FEATURES
Both the 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad and the Dual Wireless Charging Pad are being exclusively sold by Apple. The 3-in-1 pad is designed to charge the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods (2nd Gen) while the Dual Charging Pad is meant for charging two wireless devices (AirPods and iPhone or other Qi-enabled devices) and a third through a standard USB charging port located on the back of the device. Each of these devices can provide a charge up to 7.5W for connected devices. Each charging pad comes with a n AC power adapter that connects to the charging dock with a small DC output tip. The Dual Charging Pad has a larger power adapter brick than the 3-in-1 Charging Pad does, but each device puts out the same charging power.
3-IN-1 CHARGING PAD SPECS
- Charges iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch
- Universal Wireless Charging (Qi charging standard)
- 7.5W Fast Wireless Charging
- Charging Begins Immediately on Contact
- Charges through Lightweight Cases (up to 3mm thick)
- Support Apple Watch Nightstand Mode
- Dedicated AirPods Charging Spot
- Dimensions: 2.07 x 7.29 x 3.9 in
- Weight: 0.59 lbs
DUAL CHARGING PAD SPECS
- Charge Three Devices Simultaneously — two wirelessly and one with USB-A port
- Universal Wireless Charging (Qi charging standard)
- 7.5W Fast Wireless Charging
- Charges through Lightweight Cases (up to 3mm thick)
- Dimensions: 7.87 x 3.54 x 0.43 in
- Weight: 0.69 lbs
USER IMPRESSIONS
Prior to using these two charging pads, I had some previous experience with the Charge Stream Pad+ and the Wireless Charging Pad. Both devices work very well, but I have noticed a little bit of lag on the Wireless Charging Pad when you place a phone on it. It take a moment or two for the charging to begin. I have not experienced that with either of these larger charging pads. As soon as contact was made with these pads, the phone or wireless charging case would immediately start charging. I was instantly impressed that Mophie included the Apple Watch charging puck because that meant I had one less cable to deal with and I can save my charging cable for when I travel.
There are two main test subjects that I tested out with these charging pads — an iPhone XS and a Mophie Juice Pack Access, which charges wirelessly and provides pass-through charging to the connected phone. I noticed with both devices that there was some heat exchanged between the connected device and the charging pad. I took measurements using an infrared thermometer and found that temperatures ranged between 93º — 109º on each surface. Most industry standards will say that unless surface temperatures exceed 140º F, you don’t have to worry about damage to your device. That said, I’m always cautious when I find any amount of heat on devices after they have been charging.
Aside from the heat collection, I thought the wireless charging pads did a good job of charging the iPhone and charging case. The Dual charging pad averages a charging rate of 0.72% per minute whereas the 3-in-1 charging pad averaged 0.8% per minute. When it came to charging the iPhone through a wireless charging case (the Juice Pack Access), the charging rate slowed quite a bit to 0.4% per minute.
I found it very interesting that the charging pads had different sizes of AC adapters and that the Dual Wireless Charging Pad had the larger of the two. One of them had an output of 19V/1.58A and the other was 19V/1.3A. I read through the user manuals of both charging pads and while both stated that no other AC adapter should be used, there was no mention of why one was larger than the other.
I also thought it was interesting that Mophie included a power adapter that had a specially sized tip. The tip is shaped to fit the port on the charging pads so even though it’s not technically proprietary it isn’t easy to replace. Personally, I would have liked to see Mophie use USB-C as a connector and included a wall adapter. It is possible that they had to use these types of power adapter because of the amount of devices that are supported, but I wasn’t able to find an explanation to confirm that assumption. For me, this is certainly not a deal-breaker, but merely an observation.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really have been enjoying both of the charging pads, more so the 3-in-1 because I can charge my iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods with one device. In fact, when I started this review, I had the original AirPods that only charged with a Lightning cable. Because I now have an option to charge the AirPods wirelessly, thanks to the Mophie 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad, I made the upgrade to the second generation AirPods that do include wireless charging. With the Apple press event tomorrow on September 10th, I think this would be a great time for you to upgrade and pick one of these two wireless charging pads up. They work great and they definitely cut down on cable clutter.
Originally published at https://macsources.com on September 9, 2019.
