Newsletter
OnePlus 8 Pro has been announced, and its big new feature is wireless charging.
It’s a feature that we’ve been asking for, literally, for years. And OnePlus never gave it to us because it didn’t feel like wireless charging was convenient enough. But now it is. Because OnePlus was able to re-engineer Qi standard for faster wireless charging. We’re talking 30W here, versus the industry standard of 5W to 12W depending on the device. It’s worth mentioning that only the OnePlus 8 Pro supports wireless charging.
Of course, with adding wireless charging, OnePlus also debuted two new wireless chargers, which start at $70.
There’s a wireless charging pad for $70 and wireless charging stand for $80.
These wireless chargers have fans inside
With the OnePlus 8 Pro boasting much faster speeds than most other smartphones, for wireless charging, OnePlus had to figure out a way to get rid of the heat. And it has done so by putting a fan into each wireless charger. It’s a pretty small fan, so it’s not loud, but it should dissipate the heat from the device while it is charging.
Now with the stand, OnePlus is actually using vents that push out cooler air onto the back of the phone. To keep it from overheating. And that’s one of the advantages of getting the stand over the pad. Even though it is $10 more.
It’s also worth noting that OnePlus has included a “sleep mode” for overnight charging. Which keeps the fans off, but it also charges slower. The thinking here is that it’s going to be charging all night (roughly eight hours), so you don’t need it to charge super quickly, as long as it is at 100% by the time you wake up.
Unfortunately, the wireless chargers from OnePlus do not have removable plugs or standardized USB-C cables. But that’s not a big deal for most people. And at least you get a wall adapter here. Unlike some of the cheaper models from Anker and AUKEY.
50% charge in just 30 minutes
At this speed, OnePlus is noting that you can get at least 50% charge in just 30 minutes. And that might actually be underpromising a bit. As the demo that OnePlus showed off during the event today, put it closer to 80% after about 30 minutes.
But still, that is pretty incredible, and there are only a few other smartphones that can handle 30W wireless charging right now. Which include those from Xiaomi and Huawei. Hopefully this does become the standard in the industry in the next few years.