TYLT VU Qi Wireless Phone Charging Pad (Blue, 3 Coil) Tilted Stand & Fast Battery Charger Station for Compatible iPhone, Samsung, Google, Android & Qi-Enabled Cell Phones

So, you've gotten hooked by the "hype" of wireless charging, but you keep reading reviews saying that's all it is - hype.IT'S NOT HYPE. High quality, well designed wireless charging components are the key. Even some of the name brand OEM manufacturers drop the ball in this area.After trying two other charging pads, I settled on one of these. I liked it so much that I bought a second one for work. I now own a black one and a blue one (they are identical in everything but color). In this review, I will explain why, as well as some tips for getting the best wireless charging experience for your device. First though, I will preface this review with this little bit of information. I own a Samsung Galaxy Note III. It is a VERY power hungry phone that comes with a USB 3.0 charger to make up for that. Many older or lower powered USB 2 chargers cannot charge it quicker than the current drain, and as any of you know, numerous car chargers (even ones that claim they can - Rocketfish, I am talking to you) cannot charge the phone in a car while it's being used for navigation (not enough current).So, with that said, besides ease of use, a high charging rate was also something foremost in my mind. Others with my phone have written complaints about other wireless chargers not being able to provide enough power to charge the Note III (and presumably, other MegaPhones as well).A common problem with many wireless charging pads is finding that sweet spot where your phone charges. It's actually worse than that. Your phone might be charging, but not a the full rate supported by the wireless charging hardware (the receiver in the phone, and the pad on your table). So, even when it says it's charging, it might not be charging fast enough. The problem is, you found the spot where it starts charging, but NOT the sweet spot where the charging coils are properly aligned with the receiver in the phone, and thus not getting a full charge rate.This is where this wireless charger excels! My Note III is pretty big. I simply drop it on the charging stand (centered, left to right), and that's it! Everything aligns fine. No guessing if I have to slide it up or down. Just set it and forget it!**Again, since it's a stand, with three big coils, you just put your phone on the stand and you're done!!! NO sweet spot to find, no worries about whether it's charging at full rate or not.***To try to make this review as thorough as possible for others, I tried some tests, to try to get an idea of how the charging stand would work for others with different size phones (keep in mind, YMMV)...* I re-oriented my phone upside down - charges fine (simulates the charging receiver being slightly higher or lower).* I put my phone on its side - simulates much lower, charges fine* I put my phone on its other side - simulates much lower, charges fineI'm speculating, that from my results, this charging stand can charge a wide variety of phones that have the charging receiver in different locations. And of course, it adds the convenience of a phone stand in its design.Now, on to another factor. I've bought other charging bases, as I mentioned before. Not too happy with them at my bed, because the LEDs (big bright blue ones in each case) are rather annoying in my bedroom when I am trying to sleep. This charging base has a green LED. It's bright enough to see in a fully lit room, but at the same time, it's muted and dim enough to not be an issue (at least for me) when I am trying to sleep. And that's with the base about 4" away from my head on a shelf that runs behind my bed right where a head board would be.You can spend money on a PITA charging base where you have to make sure your phone is in just the right place, or you can spend more on this one and never worry about waking up to an uncharged phone. Spend the money!Honestly, the convenience of a charging base and wireless charging is the ease of using it. When it takes longer (than plugging it in) to place your phone in "just the right place" so that it charges fast enough, it becomes nothing more than a novelty item, and will likely be relegated to a drawer at some point. Don't fill your drawers with more crap. Buy something that actually functions like all the "hype" about wireless charging.Finally, unlike other charging pads, this one comes with a charger - and again, it's powerful enough to charge my Note III - it should be all you ever need, and won't take up an existing charger or phone cable. And it will NOT accept a USB charge cord. So you understand, the THREE power coils in it use too much power for standard USB, thus it CAN'T be powered by one. It uses a custom cord. The wall charger is designed (oriented) for WALL outlets, or newer AC adapters where the ground holes run up the middle - if you have an older one where the ground holes are on one side, it will cover a number of outlets (it's pretty big).One side note: It's a really nice looking stand, and it is very sturdy.FINAL NOTE FOR NOTE III USERS:I am using the Samsung charging cover (not the flip one, but the "regular" one). I am not using the aftermarket "stick it to the battery" ones. You can buy the Samsung covers separately (including here on Amazon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Wireless Charging Battery Cover (Black)) and buy this base to charge it, saving you the cost of buying "the whole kit" with the not as well designed OEM charging pad. If you have other phones, there are also such options available for many.

Having just purchased a phone that supports Qi wireless charging, I was looking forward to the feature. True, I have plugged my smart phone at least once a day for 18 months and had not damaged the connector yet. I picked up the Nokia "Fat Boy" charger at Verizon when I got the phone. It's simply a plastic charger inside a cushioned pad. OK, but I was never certain that I had placed the phone "correctly" on the base. When I saw the Ghost100 that has "Droid" embossed on it, I had the same impression. The phone is WIDER than the base. How will someone with my coordination balance the phone on there perfectly and keep from knocking it out of alignment?Then, I saw reviews of the TYLT Qi charger, and read the instructions on their web site. "Put the bottom edge of the phone down in the charger, then lay the phone back until it is resting on the charger." Hmmm. I think that's something I can do!After a couple of weeks now, my enthusiasm has been confirmed. EVERY time I lay the phone down, it starts charging. Not once has it complained about alignment. Since it is standing up at a 45-degree angle, I can just touch the phone and get status without having to pick it up.I noticed two things. First, sometimes when my phone begins to charge, it makes a God-Awful sound and I say, "wow, I'm glad that isn't in the bedroom, or the wife would KILL me." Other times, it makes no sound. This is a function of the phone, not the charger. My guess is that the sound is connected to my "quiet time" setting. Since I DO employ quiet time, there is no need to have the phone in the bedroom. Second, from looking at the battery graph, it is clear that the TYLT charger get the battery to 100% and then shuts down. When the battery has dropped a little, it charges again.I have noticed that wireless charging definitely causes the phone to get hot. (When charging with a USB cord, the phone remains at ambient temperature.) On the wireless charger, the phone heats up to about 105 degrees. Definitely hot enough to notice. Of course, by the time the phone is near full charge, the temperature drops back down to ambient, so the phone is not hot when I pick it up the next morning.How "hot" is this? Is it "dangerous" to the phone? Beats me. I used the phone as a GPS for about 20 minutes today and noticed it reached 110 degrees. So, the phone can get HOT from apps, too. For me, the convenience outweighs potential damage to the battery. If it dies during the warranty period, I'll get a replacement. If it lasts two year, I will be eager for an excuse to upgrade to a new phone.It is not clear to me how the SIZE of the phone affects Qi charging. I have the Droid Mini, which is relatively small. I have read that the TYLT has "3 charging coils to accommodate different size phones." Short of cutting it apart, I have no way to verify that. It might be that Qi standards mandate where the charging coil should be located in the phone. Again, no idea. I guess the situation is that it works GREAT for me. If you get one and it doesn't work, be glad that you bought it from Amazon.No way will a tablet fit on this. (Do any tablets come with Qi charging?) Also, I stand mine up vertically. Have no interest in laying it on its side.I got the red one simply because it was less expensive than the other colors. Now that I have it, I kind of like the color.Am I happy with it? You bet. It is SO convenient to just drop the phone onto the TYLT to charge and then just pick it up when I want to go. People who diss wireless charging probably had similar attitudes toward automatic transmissions and microwave ovens. Once you've tried this, you won't want to go back!Would I recommend it? Also true.