3 reasons why I filled my home with Qi2 wireless chargers

Over the past year or so, I've gone ahead and outfitted every floor of my home with at least one Qi2 charging stand.

I was never a wireless charging fan back before MagSafe and Qi2. Aside from slow 5W top-up speeds, I found it difficult to line up the charging coils correctly, making for an unsatisfactory user experience across the board. Now that magnets have been incorporated into the mix (vindicating Palm once and for all), and now that wattage is at an acceptable level, I've had a 180-degree change of heart when it comes to all things wireless charging.

Over the past year or so, I've gone ahead and outfitted every floor of my home with at least one Qi2 charging stand. Here's why I love wireless charging so much in its modern incarnation, and why, despite the tech's heat generation and inefficiency drawbacks, I feel it's wholly superior to wired smartphone charging.

1 It's just plain convenient

Magnets are more user-friendly than cables

Whether we're talking about Qi2 with its MPP ring of magnets, or Apple's MagSafe standard, the end-user experience is roughly the same: plop a compatible phone onto a wireless charging stand or base, and it'll latch on and immediately start topping up the unit's battery. I love the frictionless experience this provides -- it's far more user-friendly than a traditional USB port could ever dream of being.

Smartphones have rapidly gone from a luxury product to an essential commodity, and magnetic wireless charging systems are far more accessible for those with motor disabilities, as well as for elderly individuals who might lack the tech literacy of younger generations. In many ways, with modern wireless charging, it feels like we've gone full circle: you can drop your smartphone onto its charger when not in use, much like a traditional wireless landline telephone (minus the pogo pins, of course).

2 It reduces wear and tear

USB-C ports have an insertion shelf life

USB-C ports are fairly resilient, but they certainly have a shelf life. The USB Implementers Forum rates the USB Type-C specification at a minimum of 10,000 mating cycles. This is a marked improvement over USB-A's 1,500 cycles, and a match for USB Micro-B's 10,000 cycles, but smartphones generally require charging on a daily basis, which adds up over time. Switching over to wireless charging has helped me avoid unnecessary strain on my own phone's USB-C port, which keeps it in tip-top physical shape for when I want to use it for transferring data.

Inductive charging can also help protect the chassis of a phone. Back when I relied exclusively on wired charging, I had a habit of scratching the metal frame surrounding my phone's port -- likely the result of fumbling around to plug my device in while in the dark before bed. Even with USB-C's reversible connector design, my HTC 10 and my Samsung Galaxy S9 have several battle scars to each of their names.

3 It gets me using my phone less

My phone stays docked on its charger instead of in my pocket

Far and away, the biggest benefit of switching to a wireless charging setup has been the way it improves my digital hygiene for the better. I used to carry my phone around with me in my pocket at all times, including while at home. As a result, I was never more than a moment away from distracting social media feeds and dopamine-filled YouTube videos. Now that my house is decked out with wireless charging stands, my phone has a dedicated home of its own. I can rest assured that it's being juiced up, and that I'll know where to find it when I actually need to use it.

Aside from being more mindful of my phone usage, Qi2 and MagSafe chargers with a stand-like design have another benefit: they allow a phone to work double-duty as a smart display. My iPhone 15 Pro's StandBy mode serves as an excellent digital clock, and my Pixel 9 Pro is the perfect digital photo frame when paired with a Google Pixel Stand. I'm such a fan of ambient displays, in fact, that I only ever purchase stand-style wireless chargers. I've given the boot to all pucks, mats, and base-style chargers in my home, as they don't offer me the glanceability that I value in my personal wireless charging setup.