REVIEW: Galaxy S 4 Wireless Charging Pad

Alongside the launching of the Galaxy S 4, Samsung has also unveiled its Wireless Charging Pad. However, instead of having the feature built it the Galaxy S 4, wireless charging comes in the form of an optional accessory kit, which features a different back cover and the charging pad.

Image by GSMArena

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 Wireless Charging Pad is made of plastic but its bottom side sports a rubber layer to prevent the charging table from moving. The top part is where the Samsung Galaxy S 4 is put to rest and charge. A major drawback is that the smartphone must be placed precisely in the center of the charging pad for it to be successfully charged. If you move it by a couple of centimeter in any direction, the inductive charging will stop.

Image by GSMArena

There’s an LED notification light at the top left corner, which blinks green when the phone is charging, and orange when you’re not doing it properly. There’s also a start-up flashing sequence (red, green, orange) when you connect the Charging Pad to the wall charger. In terms of connectivity, there’s just one microUSB port, where the charging pad connects to a conventional wall charger to get juice.

The Wireless Charging Pad doesn’t work all by itself. The Galaxy S 4 needs a special battery cover to dive into the world of wireless charging. Design-wise, the cover is identical to the regular Galaxy S 4 battery cover and features the same hyperglazed plastic with special pattern that the phone boasts. However, the Charging Cover is noticeably heavier at 21 g (the regular battery cover weighs just 8 g) and thicker.

Image by GSMArena

The dock station charges the Samsung S 4 nearly 1.5 times slower than a conventional plug-in charger, taking 3 hours and 54 minutes to bring a flat battery to full charge. That’s due to the lower efficiency of inductive charging compared to the traditional wired approach. It pales in comparison, to plugging the Galaxy S 4 directly to the wall charger via the microUSB cable takes 1 hours and 55 minutes to reach 100% battery charge.

Image by GSMArena

While the Wireless Charging Pad with the Galaxy S 4 might look cool at first, the truth is that it is cumbersome to use and not practical at all. For one, you need to either replace covers constantly or you will have to live with a thicker and heavier phone at all times. Charging time is also disappointing. The suggested retail price is $60 for the charging pad and $40 for the special charging cover.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

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Til then...

xoxo Nash