The great thing about the latest model in the Galaxy S series is that it is waterproof to some extent but this also means that the USB charging port had to be covered up. It’s always a bit fiddly to get that little cover off and, more importantly, you have to make sure that it gets properly sealed again afterwards!
This little extra step in recharging your phone may not be the sole reason for wanting to look at wireless charging so let’s see what else is on offer from Samsung to make life a little bit easier.
Today we are looking at 2 “official” solutions: the S Charger kit and the S View cover.
Courtesy of MobileZap we received both units the other day for review.
We’ll tackle the S Charger Kit first.
This kit contains the inductive type charging pad which has some Qi technology in this Samsung branding as well as the new cover for the back of the smartphone. This cover is slightly thicker than your very flimsy standard back as it contains the induction charging plate which connects with 5 pins with your phone. I always wondered what those matching 5 connectors were for on the phone….
Just a small detail: with his new cover being slightly thicker it has a better protection for the camera lens so that now the phone can lie totally flat on your desk and doesn’t wobble when we are trying to use the keyboard!
When you first plug in the wireless charging pad the LED indicator light goes from red to green and then to orange with a solid green when it is charging properly. There is no power switch on the charging pad so it always uses a little bit of standby power.
Keep in mind that you need a 2A charger (like the one that came with your phone) to plug the USB cable in.
The idea is to put the centre of the phone on top of the charging pad and it will charge up just about as fast as it would do with plug-in charging.
Here is the great thing though: because you will probably always have this charging pad near your computer on your desk, when you’re not using the phone just plonk it back onto the charging pad and it will always be ready at the hundred percent level for when you leave your desk.
S View Case
The 2nd unit we are reviewing today is the S View, which is a leather like cover with an integrated back. Now, originally I was quite a bit sceptical about this product because, even though it is fully capable of wireless charging, I think I would not like the flip cover idea. I usually like my phone “naked” or with a slim case so that the whole screen is exposed.
The S View has a glass window in the top half which will bring up a special square screen when the case is closed. This separate screen displays the time, the weather, the Samsung pedometer app and the camera button. This means that you don’t have to open up the case to check on these things as well as notifications and incoming calls. Even though the window in the case is protected by presumably some tough stuff, it is still “swipeable”. It’s not quite as sensitive as the normal screen but works well for answering calls and for using the camera.
Having the extra protection of a case that encloses the whole phone is attractive and I found with a little bit of use that it is very easy to flip the front cover all the way back and use the full screen functions.
It is amazing that even with the front fully covering the back side it will still do the wireless charging without any problems so that you can use the phone whilst it is being juiced up.
The only downside I found is that you need a special holder for in the car where the whole case can rest in. So I’m still looking around for something decent to use in the vehicle.
Conclusion
Both solutions are great for wireless charging. If you don’t need a case then the S Charger kit is quite sufficient.
Check out our friends at MobileZap where you will find more details about the official Samsung Charger kit ($90.49) here and the same for the S View ($72.49) over here.
We can highly recommend these products for their build quality, reasonable price and particularly for the ease of charging!
And check out their huge range of wireless solutions that I did not realise existed!
