GUIDE TO WIRELESS CHARGER WORLD

This may seem obvious, but there are a couple other wireless charging standards out there, so make sure whatever you pick up supports the Qi standard.

POWER

Base wireless charging starts at 5W, but most phones support some kind of fast charging. Apple’s iPhones are designed to charge at a maximum speed of 7.5W, Samsung’s phones charge at 9W, and other Android phones support up to 10W. So while chargers that output less will charge your phone, they won’t do so quite as fast. You’ll probably want to get a 10W charger to make sure that you’ve covered no matter what phone you buy.

STANDARD CONNECTOR

Most wireless charging pads plug in to an adapter of some kind to actually connect to a wall outlet. It’s better to go with a standard connector, just in case you damage or lose the cable.

WALL ADAPTER Check to see if your charging pad actually comes with a wall adapter.

If you’re expected to provide your own, make sure that it can provide enough wattage to charge at full speed — a 10W pad with a 5W wall jack will only charge at 5W.

BRAND

When in doubt, stick to brands with a good reputation for charging gear, like Anker, RavPower, Mophie, Belkin, or Samsung, to name a few.

SIZE AND AESTHETICS

For a desk, you’ll probably want an angled charger so you can see your screen ( and unlock with Face ID, for iPhone users).

For nightstand, you can consider a flat pad so you don’t light up your whole room every time you get a text.

There’s also convertible chargers, if you’d prefer the flexibility.