The Ultimate Luxury? Wireless Charging in the Car
Scotty Reiss
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All it takes is a Qi case and a compatible car, and both are at your fingertips. Keep reading and learn how to win one!
The DarTech Qi charging case that we tested out; this case allows your phone to charge wirelessly on a Qi charge pad; photo: Scotty Reiss
I’m sick of charge cords for my phone; aren’t you? Apple has patented its newer iPhone charge cords so it’s almost impossible to buy an inexpensive one at Staples or CVS that works. Also, they break. And they get lost. And my kids take them.
I LOVE the idea of wireless charging. Toyota, Lexus, GMC, Cadillac, Honda and Kia think so too. They are incorporating the technology into many (but not all) of their models.
Increasingly, auto makers are including Qi charge pads (pronounced ‘Chee’) in new models. These charge pads are perfect for Samsung and other phones that have wireless charging technology built into the phone.
Wireless Charging for iPhones? Yes, with a special case
The DarTech wireless case has a flexible rubber top so you can slide your phone into the case; photo: Scotty Reiss
Apple has not incorporated this wireless charge technology (yet), but you can still have it: Starbucks is has put Powermat wireless charging stations, which use a ring plugged into your phone to accept the charge, at many of its locations. Or, you can get phone cases that charge wirelessly, like the DarTech charge case we tested.
DarTech sent us a nice-looking case to try out; I put my daughter’s iPhone 6 in it and as we spent the weekend tooling around in the Toyota Camry, which has a Qi charge pad built in, we charged her phone. It worked nicely. The case was easy to use and truthfully, putting your phone down and having it recharge is a true luxury (yay for no cords).
Nicely built case, but not a lot of style choices
I also liked the rubber rim of the case which gives you a little added protection if you drop your phone (as if that ever happens). The DarTech case we tried out is black and white; it comes in black, too, there aren’t a lot of style choices, but it’s early in the technology.
The DarTech case sells for $49.95 and comes with an additional charge pad for your desk or kitchen counter. A quick search for wireless charging iPhone cases on Amazon found a broader range of prices, ranging from $50 to $17, but the style selections were limited—most were black, white or gray.
It was easy to slide your phone into the case; the top rim of the case is flexible and bends so you can easily slide the phone in. But once in, it’s a tight fit so getting it out wasn’t as simple as some cases (but not as difficult as others; charging cases tend to be a tight fit, too).
Good, but not the fastest way to charge
The black and white DarTech case and the Qi charge pad in the 2016 Toyota Camry; photo: Scotty Reiss
After leaving the phone on the charger for 30 minutes or so, we noticed it had only added increased the battery charge level slightly; we also noticed that it was warm to the touch. This is typical to the Qi charge pads in cars. The temperature seemed warm for a phone, but typical for a larger device like a tablet or laptop.
Best fit for Apple iPhone 5 and 6
So here’s the bummer: the iPhone 6 Plus is too big to fit into many current Qi charge pads in cars; mine would not fit in the Toyota Camry’s charge pad, and recently I was in a Toyota Prius with my friend Rita who has a Samsung Galaxy; her phone fit in the space but it was slightly too large to lay flat on the charge surface, which is needed for charging.
But it seems like the size of these ‘phablet’ phones have reached their max, at least for now, so hopefully there will be larger Qi pads installed in new cars soon.
Would you like a free DarTech iPhone charge case? Enter to win one here!
We are giving away two DarTech cases: the case we tested out for the iPhone 6 as well as a brand new one that will fit either an iPhone 5, 6 or 6+. Just enter below; no purchase is necessary to win, multiple entries are encouraged and of course, feel free to share the contest! Winners will be notified by email and prizes will be mailed. Contest ends Sunday, April 3rd, 2016. Prize value: $49.95
Disclosure: DarTech provided us with the case we tested out; all opinions are my own.