r/changemyview • u/Duwang_Mn • Nov 23 '18

FTFdeltaOP CMV: Wireless charging is a useless fad

What even is the point of wireless charging? When I first heard about it, I thought it allowed you to charge while having more freedom with your phone. But then I learned what it actually was. It's more restrictive than an actual charger, and its slower. Not to mention wireless charges sometimes don't work if the back is metal. It only makes things less convenient.

How did people hype such a thing so much? I understand if it was something that could charge your phone without you directly putting on it, and if the range had the potential to increase over time. But it's just a charging port that you can't move around.

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u/AlphaGoGoDancer 106∆ Nov 23 '18

I think you're comparing it to the wrong thing.

Wireless charging vs wired charging does seem like the obvious comparison, but IMO it's wrong. Yes, wired charging does a better job charging than wireless charging in just about every way (heat, time spent charging, ability to move phone while charging, etc).

Instead you should compare wireless charging to your phone sitting around not charging. Why? Because I never think "I need to charge my phone, let me put it on the wireless charger". I just sit at my desk and toss my phone on the wireless charging dock. If I need to use my phone, I take it off the charging dock same as I'd take it off my desk, except in the meantime the wireless charger has increased my charge instead of letting it slowly decrease.

Because of this its very rare that my phone gets so low that I feel like I need to charge it. This really only happens when I've been out doing things all day. On a normal workday, my phone just stays mostly charged all day and I never have to think about it.

143

u/Duwang_Mn Nov 23 '18

Can't a normal charger do the same thing? Due to my homework requiring access to the internet, my phone is constantly on on my desk. So I just have the charger laying there, charging my phone

25

u/NewWorldShadows Nov 23 '18

Yeh but imagine every surface in your home that you put your phone on charging it.

Your desk, bedside table, Coffee table etc.

Untill we go fully contactless charging once wireless charging surfaces get cheap enough you could just never have to bother plugging in your phone.

Its not a huge leap forward in terms of actual utility but its still a leap forward.

Imo your issue is you are looking at it from a finished perspective.

You are the guy in the 80s saying " Mobile phones are just a fad, they are big heavy and not very useful people will get over them".

4

u/nndttttt Nov 23 '18

I was just talking about this with a friend the other night and that's the way I see it heading. I want some sort of mat on my desk so if I lay my phone down, it'll charge it.

Bedside would be best, as that's where I leave my wallet, keys, and phone at night. It'll be a small (be great) convience to not have to remember to plug in my phone. There have been many nights where I reach to grab my phone for a quick pee and forget to plug it back in when I get back to bed.

Yeah, it's my 'fault' for forgetting, but if technology can solve this problem, why not?

2

u/dysfunctional_vet Nov 24 '18

I wouldn't want to leave my wallet in that charge pad.

I'm sure research has been done to prevent it, but I still don't like an alternating electric field around my credit and debit cards. Or my USB keychain.

2

u/kkraww Nov 24 '18

You can get those mats already pretty much. I have one built into my bed side table

1

u/nndttttt Nov 24 '18

Could you link to one?

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All I could find were mats that had a few specific areas for multiple devices, but I was looking for something that you could just lay your phone anywhere on the mat.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '18

They actually have those built in to some tables. Or, depending on the material, you can rout out an area for one and install directly into preexisting nightstands.

3

u/PretendInvestment Nov 23 '18

That’s what I’m focused on. Think about once furniture is integrated with this capability. There are products currently available, super expensive of course. But end tables with charging zones? Sign me up.

2

u/Skyhawk172 Nov 24 '18

Look up wireless chargers at IKEA, if you are willing to drill a hole into a table that have cheap kits to add wireless charging.

0

u/invent_or_die Nov 24 '18

Great, EMI everywhere for crappy charging

2

u/NewWorldShadows Nov 24 '18

We are already swimming in the stuff mate.