Wireless charging pads

Wireless charging pad

— wireless chargers made in pad form factor. We are talking about wireless chargers for household use; car wireless chargers are a separate category (see the relevant paragraph).

Wireless charging is carried out literally “over the air”: it is enough for it that the energy source and the gadget being charged are close to each other. However, the range of such a charge is a few centimetres, so the easiest way is to put the gadget directly on the charger. However, even this format of operation is more convenient than wired: it saves you from fussing with cables and does not wear out connectors. Some gadgets (for example, certain models of smartwatches) are generally charged only in this way — this allows to remove unnecessary connectors from the design. The disadvantages of this technology are, first of all, the high cost, as well as limited distribution: the wireless method is found mainly in premium devices. In addition, the functionality of fast charging in this case is very limited, see "Features" for more details (although in terms of normal charging speed, such chargers are generally not inferior to wired ones). Thus, traditional wired charging connectors can also be provided in wireless devices.

As for charging pads specifically, the gadget is placed horizontally on such a device. This is somewhat less convenient than mounting on a stand — for example, platforms are poorly suited for situations where you need to see the screen of a smartphone or tablet while charging. On the other hand, charger devices in this form factor are as compact as possible, they are best suited for travel use (although, of course, they can be used stationary).