X-Doria Defense Vertical Duo Wireless Charger REVIEW | Mac Sources

X Doria DEFENSE Duo Wireless Charger

9.3

Great wireless dual wireless charging dock with an odd look

Cable clutter stresses me out. So, I am a big advocate for devices that charge wirelessly. I was thrilled when Apple finally added wireless charging to the iPhone. I’ve tried out many different styles of wireless chargers, but haven’t had much luck finding a solid dual wireless charger, which I need since I recently acquired the AirPods Pro. One brand I almost always use for wireless charging does have a dual-charging option, but it has a dedicated spot for the 2nd Generation AirPods, which is a different shape than the AirPods Pro. I’ve tried charging the AirPods Pro with a simple flat puck, but haven’t had any success with it. With this in mind, I turned to X-Doria’s Defense Vertical Duo Wireless Charger to assist me with my charging needs.

DETAILS

The Defense Vertical Duo Wireless Charger is compatible with all Qi capable devices. It provides up to 10W of output charging (the fastest possible wireless charge) for two devices at one time. The package includes everything a user needs to get started (USB-C cable and QC 3.0 Power Supply). The charger comes in a black or white finish. There is an added USB port available so that users can charge non-wireless devices, too. It’s designed to be an “all-in-one” charging station.

As the name suggests, the Duo Wireless Charger includes two charging pads so that you can charge a mobile phone and one other Qi-compatible device simultaneously. The charger allows a phone to charge in either portrait or landscape orientations. There is a soft white LED beneath each charging pad that indicates when the device is charging.

USER EXPERIENCE — UNBOXING

X-Doria does a great job of creating an engaging box with plenty of information included. I always like to see when a company makes nice packaging because it shows to me that they are ‘all in.’ In my opinion, the packaging is important because it draws attention to the product on the shelf. X-Doria’s packaging for the Defense Vertical Duo Wireless Charger has a nice image of the product on the front with a lifestyle presentation of the product on the back. The information that is included is good enough to help an end-user decide if they want to pull the trigger and buy it. Inside the box, you will find the charger, USB-C to USB-A cable, power adapter, and an informational pamphlet.

One of the first things I noticed was the device’s design. I have the white version of this charger and even though the white charger with silver accents goes well with my current desk set-up, I’m not a big fan of the charger’s design. The metal trim that highlights the phone’s charging stand seems to make the charger bulkier then it needs to be. And, while this might be my personal taste, I would have preferred to see the corners rounded off a bit more. Finally, I think it would have been a smarter idea to have the base be all one size rather than staggered like it is now. I’ve found that the phone side of the charger tilts quite a bit because it doesn’t have the same size base as the flat charging pad. To me, this seems like a lack of attention to detail when it came to design choices, which is disappointing with such a great charger.

When it comes to function, I’ve found that the Defense Vertical Duo Wireless Charger works very well. I really love that X-Doria included the LED indicator lights on the front so that you know for sure if your devices are charging or not. The instruction pamphlet indicates that you should only use the included power adapter and that you should not plug the charger into a computer. The reason behind this is to ensure the user is getting the full 10W charging output.

I did run a series of tests to check out the efficiency of the charger. The iPhone gained 13% in 62 minutes, while the AirPods Pro gained 18% in 46 minutes. That ends up being a charging rate of 0.2% per minute and 0.39% per minute respectively. This is actually a little bit slower than I’ve seen other wireless chargers perform at. In fact, one of our writers tested out the X-Doria Defense Wireless Charger a couple of months ago and received a charging rate of 0.5% per minute. There are a couple of things to take into consideration with this charger. First, it’s charging two devices at one time. Second, I did use the phone a couple of times while it was charging to check the status of the AirPods Pro charging. These things could have an effect on the charging rate of the iPhone.

I also had a small issue with the AirPods Pro. I placed them on the charging pad when they were showing an 82% charge. This was the battery percentage for the case, however, the AirPods were being stored inside. When the case reached 94%, it stopped charging. I thought that maybe the charger was registering the charge of the AirPods so I pulled them out of the case and when the case reached 95%, it stopped charging again. I turned the case a couple of times and the LED light indicated that it was charging again so I eventually just left it alone and after 46 minutes, both the AirPods and the case showed 100%. This was just an observation I made and doesn’t necessarily count against the product. I think it just has to do with how it registers a charge from the charging case and earbuds and how the charging case supports pass-through charging to the earbuds.

CONCLUSION

Some of the other wireless charging units I have tested over the past few years might have a more refined design but there have been issues with them functioning properly or up to spec. Even though there were a few design choices I would have made differently, I have been generally happy with the charger’s performance. As soon as I place a device on the charging pads, they are immediately recognized and start charging. Having a frustration-free experience with a product is the most important feature for me. So, knowing the Defense Vertical Duo Wireless Charger is going to work each time is a wonderful thing.

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Originally published at https://macsources.com on November 15, 2019.