Home iPhonia iPhone Accessories ,,,,, With the advent of Qi wireless charging technology, now in force on many Android smartphones, but also present on the iPhone X and iPhone 8, and certainly on the next line up of Apple smartphones, a wireless charging pad could be an accessory, if not essential, however particularly useful. We tested the one from Spigen, model F303W. Here are the results.
Package contents
First of all, when buying this battery charger, it is good to know what the sales package contains, so as not to be displaced upon opening. Inside is the F303W wireless pad, a micro USB cable, instruction manual, and a small badge reminding you to use a quick charger instead of a standard one. There is also a quick wall charger inside the package, which we recommend buying together with the wireless pad, unless you already have it available. If you don't have a fast wall charger, the wireless charging pad in question will fail to take full advantage of Quick Charge support, and will charge the terminal at standard speeds.
Design and materials
Needless to deny, the Spigen F303W is among the bulkier wireless charging pads. Its shape, in fact, is totally different from that of almost all Qi charging pads. This often turns out to be much more minimal, and above all flattened, while the Spigen one under test turns out to have more generous dimensions, and a shape that also extends vertically. As for dimensions, the Spigen Essential F303W measures 192 × 82 × 19 mm, weighing just 84.5 grams.
While it might not appeal to most people, on the other hand the design of this F303W has its advantages. First of all, it allows the terminal to be housed in an almost vertical position, keeping the screen facing the user, so that any notifications can be viewed without any effort. Furthermore, the surface on which the terminal is placed is quite large, and this means that the device does not risk falling in any way. The care that Spigen has placed in this accessory is evident: 4 support rubbers and a slot to dispose of the heat.
Technical features
Among the main features of this wireless pad the presence of 2 coils, which allow you to position the device both horizontally and vertically, thus being able to always enjoy a continuous and precise recharge. Spigen Essential allows devices to be recharged both via standard 5V 2A charging, but also supports 9V 1.67A fast charging.
In addition to the presence of FCC, CE and RhoS certifications, Spigen Spigen also integrates protection systems in this wireless charging pad to prevent overloads and overvoltages.
On the lower part of the accessory there is an LED, which also indicates the type of charging in progress. And in fact, the LED will flash alternately blue and red in the case of Fast charging, while it will flash blue in the case of standard charging. We noticed during our tests, that the LED remains blue even when fully charged, not turning off completely.
The LED light is particularly strong and could be a problem for those who use the charging pad on the bedside table, perhaps at night, then inside a dark room.
How it works
Thanks to the rather large support surface, wireless charging will always be activated precisely, quickly and on time. We had some difficulties only with rather thick covers: the same manufacturer actually recommends removing any protected cases to obtain the best charging result.
As already mentioned, in order to take full advantage of this charging pad, it is necessary to have a wall battery charger with Fast Charge support. In case you use, for example, standard battery chargers, such as those present in the iPhone packs, the recharge will be of the standard type.
During our tests we had the opportunity to test the product with different Android terminals. We have noticed that on average, using a wall charger with Fast Charge support decreases full charging times by about 30 minutes. Furthermore, we have verified with Samsung devices, that the fast charging of this Spigen is able to replicate almost exactly what you get with the original fast charging pads. In the latter case, Samsung's wireless charging pad managed to charge a Note 8 a few minutes faster, compared to the Spigen. In general, however, they are absolutely equivalent products.
If you use a standard charging battery charger, however, you will get charging times in line with the standard wired charging sockets, even if the latter will be slightly faster, considering that there is no loss of energy, as instead happens in the pad.
During charging, we did not notice particularly intense heating phenomena. With some Android terminals, however, we have noticed that charging stops at 99% and does not reach 100%. We do not know if these are graphics bugs of Google devices, which do not recognize the charger in use as official.
Conclusions
The Spigen F303W charger is a good accessory, which we recommend to use in conjunction with a Fast Charge wall charger. The shape may not appeal to everyone, and it has its pros and cons. A rubberized coating on the part that welcomes the terminal would have been appreciated, both to keep it more firm and to prevent it from being scratched. Either way, the pad's stand function is pretty handy, and it represents a little more than flat wireless charging pads.
It costs 17.99 euros on Amazon and can be purchased directly at this address in the different black or white color.
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