Alpatronix CX102 QI Wireless Charging Pad Review

A just-too-quick wave filled the charging socket with sand on my wife's Samsung Galaxy S7. We tried to blow out, shake out, tap out, and pick out the sand, but the port was just inoperable. We went to the wireless provider store, where, after some further ineffective attempts to fix the socket, they suggested a new phone. Then one of the reps said, "Why don't you just use a wireless charger? They are only $40." I thought that was a good idea, but wife nixed it.

When we returned home, I went to the local wireless store, where they offered a brand-name wireless charger for $60. I declined and went home to Amazon. After several hours of research, I bought three Alpatronix CX102 chargers. I have all three installed and working. They are well designed, well made, attractive and, of course, functional. And they are among the lowest priced chargers currently available. The descriptions of these chargers are often confusing, so here is a brief clarification:

1. Wireless chargers are called wireless because you don't need to plug the phone in to anything. You simply place the phone on the charging pad and the phone will charge. The phone must have an internal, inductive charging capability. Samsung and Apple phones as well as many others have this capability. You can  google your phone withe a question to find out if it supports wireless charging. (Does my Xoompa phone support wireless charging?)

2. The charging pad must be plugged into a USB wall connector, which is not supplied with the pad. You can use the wall adapter that you use every day to charge your phone. The Alpatronix CX102, like most of the other charging pads, comes with the pad and a USB cable.

3. Speed of charging is determined by the wall adapter and by the phone's capability. If you have one of those swap meet $5 adapters, you will get a 5 watt charging speed on most any phone. If you have an iPhone, and if  you use the Apple adapter, you will get a 7.5 watt charging speed. If you own a Samsung Galaxy phone, you will get a 10 watt charging speed. Selection and switching are automatic.

4. To use. plug the USB cable into the charging pad and into the adapter and then plug the adapter into a wall outlet. A green light will come on, indicating that the pad is ready. Place your phone on the pad. The green light will begin to flash. When charging is complete, the green light will return to a steady glow.

I've been using the CX102 for only a couple of days, so this review will need an update at some point. But so far, these units work as well as the higher priced pad I bought first. And the Alpatronix comes with much better documentation.

So far, I highly recommend them.

According to the packaging, the Alpatronix CX102 meets the Qi (pronounced CHEE) open interface standard for wireless power transfer, the FCC standard for conformity and the CE European standard for safety. And it comes with a great warranty.