Review: Samsung Wireless Charger Duo
Aug 21, 2018, 2:25 PM by Eric M. Zeman
Samsung's Wireless Charger Duo charges two devices at once. If you have a phone and a watch, or two phones, or any other set of devices that charge wirelessly using the near-universal Qi standard, the Wireless Charger Duo can provide the power.
Wireless charging has become a vital feature for some smartphone shoppers. It gives you the freedom to easily pick up your phone to answer incoming calls without worrying about a tangle of wires. (C'mon, you know you've leaned over awkwardly to talk to someone because you wanted to leave your phone plugged into the wall.)
Wireless charging is available on a fair number of flagship phones, but no phone ships with a wireless charger in the box. You'll need to pick one up on your own if you want to take advantage of this convenient way to boost your battery. Samsung's new Galaxy Note9 smartphone and Galaxy Watch smart wearable can both take advantage of the Wireless Charger Duo, which was introduced alongside Samsung's new mobile hardware.
Hardware
The Wireless Charger Duo is pretty straightforward in terms of design and functionality. It has a plastic base that sits about 8 inches wide and 3.5 inches deep. On the left side there's a saucer-like stand, angled up so a phone can lean upright against the pad while charging. On the right side is a small, circular module that rather looks like a speaker woofer. This is the second charging surface.
The charger is made from plastic and comes in black or white. I like the matte finish and soft-touch feel. Rubber semicircles affixed to the bottom help the pad remain in place on a desk or nightstand. The charger accepts a USB-C cable on the back. I'm glad both the cable and the Samsung rapid charging wall plug are included. The cable is long enough that it can reach from the top of a desk to outlets close to the floor.
The stand on the left side of the charger cannot be folded down. This means the Wireless Charger Duo is not meant for traveling. It's the type of thing you're likely to leave in one place.
I found it easy to align my phone with the upright charger, but the flat charger required some nudging to get the phone properly in place. A rubber grip around the charging coil ensures that even the slipperiest of phones won't go anywhere whilst charging. The Galaxy Watch was very finicky about the alignment and had to be placed *just so*. This would be resolved if there were a magnet to help with alignment. Alas, there isn't.
Two LEDs on the base — one near each charger — let you know charging status. Orange means your device is charging, green means your device is charged.
Around the side edges you'll notice grates formed by small, round holes. These are so the internal fans can move air through the charger to keep the temperature down. Over a week of testing I never heard the fans, so they are definitely quiet.
I'd call the whole shebang sturdy and well-made. It's not the sexiest, but I have no problem that the Wireless Charger Duo favors function over form.
Performance
The Wireless Charger Duo is a "universal" charger. It relies on the Qi standard, which has become the default tech for charging devices wirelessly. The are some older phones (mostly mid-range devices sold by AT&T a while ago) that won't work with the Charger Duo because they support the old PMA standard. Most every modern phone should charge.
I tested the Charger Duo with the Galaxy S9+, Note9, Apple iPhone X, LG G7, and a Moto Mod-equipped Moto Z3. Each device charged on both chargers without issue. The only wireless wearable I have to test with the Charger Duo is the Galaxy Gear S3 Frontier. It also worked.
The Charger Duo supports charging at 7.5W, which is one step down from the fastest charging speed of 10W. In order to reach 7.5W you must use the included wall charger. The fastest charging speeds are only available to the newest phones from Samsung, says the company, and this bore out in testing.
The Note9 and S9+ charged the quickest, despite having larger batteries than the other phones I tested. The Note9's 4,000mAh battery went from 50% to 80% in just 20 minutes. The 3,500mAh battery of the S9+ went from 50% to 85% in 20 minutes. Comparatively, the iPhone X and Moto Z3 charged quite slowly. A 20-minute charge boosted the iPhone X from 50% to 68%, and the Moto Z3 from 50% to 65%. All of these devices took more than 90 minutes to go from 0% to 100%; the iPhone X was the slowest at more than two hours.
The Gear S3 Frontier charged very, very slowly. In fact, after sitting on the Wireless Charger Duo for three hours it hadn't reached 100%. That's really odd, because the S3 Frontier's own wired charger gets it from 0% to 100% in about 50 minutes.
Using both chargers at the same time did slow down charging for both devices a little bit.
Cases posed no problem, even thick ones. I tested each phone with a case and didn't encounter any issues. The charger knows when something incompatible is placed on it and won't transmit power to your car keys or loose change. The fans keep the charger cool, which in turn helps keep charging speeds at their quickest.
Discussion
It's incredibly convenient to be able to charge two devices on a single charger using only a single outlet. I like the idea of the stand for the phone, so you can see the clock and notifications, and the level pad for a smartwatch or other device. This accessory is perfect for a home office or bedroom. It's a shame it's not really portable.
Though Samsung promises a white option, only the black is available at the moment.
Samsung wants $120 for the Wireless Charger Duo. Adding $120 to the cost of your phone purchase for the sake of a little convenience is a big ask. On the other hand, there aren't that many charging pads that can handle two devices at once. If that's what you want or need, the Wireless Charger Duo gets the job done.
Our Ratings
About the author, Eric M. Zeman:Eric has been covering the mobile telecommunications industry for 17 years at various print and online publications. He studied at Rutgers Newark and University of Kentucky, and has a degree in writing. He likes playing guitar, attending concerts, listening to music, and driving sports cars.
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Comments
30
I can’t say that, though, because it’s obvious what’s bound to
happen. Rachel isn’t the next girl I’ll fall in love with, because
Rachel is the girl who will more than likely become my new
stepsister.
For the second time tonight, I feel sick.
Lisa smiles and clasps her hands together. “That’s great,” she
says. “I’m so relieved.”
My father walks into the room. He hugs Lisa. He says hi to
Rachel and tells her it’s good to see her again.
My father already knows Rachel.
Rachel already knows my father.
My father is Lisa’s new boyfriend.
My father visits Phoenix a lot.
My father has been visiting Phoenix a lot since before my
mother died.
My father is a bastard.
“Rachel and Miles already know each other,” Lisa says t...
(continues)
29
way, so whoever she is, I know it’s not a casual thing. She’s about to seep into our lives, intertwining
around and through and between my relationship with my father like she’s poison ivy. It’ll no longer
be just my father and me. It’ll be me, my father, and Lisa. It doesn’t feel right, considering my
mother’s presence is still everywhere in this house.
He’s sitting with his hands folded in front of him, clasped together. He’s looking down at the floor.
“I don’t know if this will go anywhere, but I want to give it a shot. Lisa makes me happy.
Sometimes moving on is . . . the only way to move on.”
I open my mouth to respond to him...
(continues)
28
Dad: “Where are you?”
Me: “Ian’s house.”
Dad: “We need to talk.”
Me: “Can it wait until tomorrow? I’ll be home late.”
Dad: “No. I need you home now. I’ve been waiting for you since school let out.”
Me: “Fine. On my way.”
That was the conversation that led to this moment. Me, sitting in front of my dad on the couch. My
dad, telling me something I don’t care to hear.
“I would have told you sooner, Miles. I just—”
“Felt guilty?” I interrupt. “Like you’re doing something wrong?”
His eyes meet mine, and I begin to feel bad for saying what I said, but I push the feeling down and
keep going.
“She’s been dead less than a year.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, I want to throw up.
He doesn’t like being judged, esp...
(continues)
Six
His hair can’t decide if it wants to be brown or blond or wavy or straight. His personality flips
between inviting and callously indifferent, muddling my ability to discern hot from cold. His casual
posture is at war with the fierceness I’ve seen in his eyes. His composure this morning contradicts his
inebriated state from last night. His eyes can’t decide if they want to look at his phone or at me,
because they waver back and forth several times before the elevator doors open.
I stop staring and step off the elevator first. Cap is seated in his chair, ever so vigilant. He glances at
the three of us exiting the elevator and pushes up on the arms of his...
(continues)
“I need to get in there,” he mutters, just as my butt meets the floor. He makes an attempt to push the apartment door open with his other hand, and this immediately sends me into panic mode. I pull my...
(continues)
shoulder to shake him awake. The second my fingers squeeze his shoulder, he gasps and sits up
straight as if I just woke him from the middle of a dream.
Or a...
(continues)
LG G7
(continues)
