PowerBot PB1020 Qi Enabled Wireless Charger with Micro USB Cable for Smartphones & Tablets – Black

What customers say about PowerBot PB1020 Qi Enabled Wireless Charger with Micro USB Cable for Smartphones & Tablets – Black?

1. 369 of 379 people found the following review helpful

   
   Love it!!! but not all are made equal – please read on for details., March 13, 2014

   By 

   Rob (Austin, Texas) –

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: PowerBot PB1020 Qi Enabled Wireless Charger with Micro USB Cable for Smartphones & Tablets – Black (Wireless Phone Accessory)

   I imagine if you are looking at this review you are wondering about this charger. This review will give you all the information you will need to decide. Like most of you, I was on the search for a good and inexpensive qi charger. Long story short…this is THE one you should get. I have a Nexus 5 with a Diztronic Matte Back Black Flexible TPU Case for LG Nexus 5 – Retail Packaging. I also have a Nexus 7 2nd Gen tablet with a MoKo Google New Nexus 7 FHD 2nd Gen Case – Ultra Slim Lightweight Smart-shell Stand Case for Google Nexus 2 7.0 Inch 2013 Generation Android 4.3 Tablet, BLACK (With Smart Cover Auto Wake / Sleep Feature) both of which work flawlessly with this charger.

   It is a very small form factor. Diameter of about 2.75″ and about 3/8″ thick. It has a rubber ring on both sides to keep the unit from sliding around as well as keeping phone/tablet in place. It comes with two micro B usb cables. One is short (a little over 12″ long) and another that is longer (about 54″). It does NOT include the power AC adapter.

   The unit has a small dimly lit LED that illuminates green when not being used and turns blue when it is charging. The LED is not especially bright and would therefore not be a problem if using it next to your bed.

   When you place your phone or tablet on the charger it makes a beep to let you know that it made correct contact. There is not really any sweet spot, in that, I can more or less randomly center my phone on the pad and it will connect. There is no measuring and trying to get it “just right”. It’s really not that difficult to figure out how to place a phone on the charger. The beep that it makes is not very loud at all and is nice to have a reassurance of correct contact. If I have the tv on low volume in my bedroom and I place my phone down, I sometimes can’t hear the beep. The only time it beeps is when I put my phone on it for charging.

   It seems to be slightly slower charging than plugging the USB into my phone or tablet but I wouldn’t consider it a major decline in overall charge times. I have a Nexus 5 phone and I use the included charger rated @ 1.2Amps. I think this charges at around 1 Amp. So, not a huge decline in my opinion. It’s difficult to judge how much longer it takes to charge my tablet, mainly because it has a larger battery and I really don’t want to waste time figuring it out. Much like I don’t want to watch paint dry or grass grow.

   Overall, I am very pleased with this charger and I own two of them in which they both work exactly the same.

   Now……..
   Here is the ugly part… Not all of these chargers are the same. The first one I ordered was a true legitimate Powerbot charger. I bought the black on black charger…Great charger and I couldn’t be happier.

   I then ordered (what I thought) was the same charger from the same seller. I ordered the yellow on black charger thinking that “Hey, I like yellow. Let’s mix it up a little.” What I received was a cheap knock off of the real thing. First, it didn’t come in the same packaging and nowhere did it say it was made my Powerbot. Not on the charger, not on the packaging, nowhere. The charger DID charge my devices but it was painfully slow. It did NOT beep when contact was made and while this is ok with my phone (I can see the LED) it was huge pain with the tablet. Peering under the tablet to see if contact was made and the LED changed color. Made it a total pain to figure out if the device was actually charging or not…did I mention this was incredibly slow? The LED changed from a solid color to a bright blinking light that was super annoying on my nightstand. I returned this cheap imitation the next day and ordered a legit charger.

   According the product listing (and I noticed this could change from hour to hour) were the different model colors that are available…black, white, red, orange, blue, etc…. The only true legitimate charger made 100% by powerbot are the black on black, the red on black and the blue on black. All others are NOT real. If your look @ the eyecandis website you will only see the 3 available colors they make. Again, all others are cheap knockoffs.

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2. 43 of 49 people found the following review helpful

   
   A Gem of a Charger, November 25, 2013

   By 

   Stratixman (Minneapolis) –

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: PowerBot PB1020 Qi Enabled Wireless Charger with Micro USB Cable for Smartphones & Tablets – Black (Wireless Phone Accessory)

   I have been looking for an affordable Qi charger since I bought my Nexus 4 phones back in March. None I researched seemed acceptable. They are either way to pricey for the utility provided or suffer some serious design deficiency. The I came across this little gem. And I do mean gem. $15 with free shipping! And it works beautifully. I can’t think of anything negative to report.

   The unit size is great, a bit smaller than a hockey puck. I really do like the simple, minimalist design. It has anti-slip rubber rings on top and bottom so that neither it nor the phone (when placed on it for charging) slip around. It comes with two micro usb cables of different lengths, but no power adapter. You have to provide your own power adapter. I suppose the lack of a power adapter may be a negative for some, but not for me. I (and many users as well probably) already have several power adapters that can be plugged into it, so I figure I saved money by not having one included. The operation of the unit is easy peasy. Power it up, a green light comes on and its ready to be used. Set the phone on top of it and if it is positioned correctly an audible beep sounds and the light turns blue. That’s all there is. If the phone isn’t positioned correctly it will either sound continuous beeps if only slightly off position, or won’t sound a beep at all if placed considerably far off position. The key is to make sure you place the phone and hear the one beep. In the case of my Nexus 4, the Nexus also makes an audible tone when it is properly placed. I can’t say that it charges any faster than the regular wall adapter that came with the phone – I haven’t felt the need to test for that nor did I purchase with the idea that it ought to. But I don’t think it is any slower, so no complaint there. All in all this product at its price point is a winner. I intend to order another unit after my Thanksgiving holiday.

   Update: The charger is still great. But I just noticed that the price has gone up twice in less than a week since I ordered it; from $14.99, to #17.99, to now $19.99. Now that’s some significant price inflation! I did some quick research on Amazon and found that there are several other sellers of what appears to be the identical unit: exact same physical design and packaging. Though reviews of some of those other units suggest slight operational differences with regard to the audible beep tone when charging. This suggests that all the resellers are buying the same unit from a master factory and maybe slightly altering the speaker (piezo electronic transducer) function. I am hazarding a guess that the price was raised on this unit to match or just slightly undercut the price on those other units, which all seem to be selling above $20. Would I still buy it at the new price? Probably, because this specific reseller’s unit is Prime eligible, thus making 2 day shipping no charge to me. I just hope it doesn’t inflate anymore in the next few days before I return from holiday and can order again (won’t be in town to accept delivery).

   Update 12/04/13: Ok. So I have been using this charger for about 2 weeks. I continue to be impressed by the charger for the price I paid ($14), but have discovered one shortcoming. The shortcoming is that it doesn’t continue to trickle charge my Nexus 4 after completing a recharge to 100%. Once charging is complete it quits and the Nexus 4 begins discharging. This presents an issue for charging overnight – depending on when the recharge to 100% is completed and the phone begins discharging the charge level can be significantly less than 100% in the morning than one would otherwise be expecting. This issue is not unique to this particular charger and seems to exist with many others. However I think I would deduct at least 1 star from my review because of it. I also see that the price on this item has continued to escalate from the price I paid ($14) just two weeks ago to $26 today. That’s some rapid inflation. As stated, I had planned to acquire another but at its current price and with the trickle charge issue I am led now to at least investigate alternatives before I buy another.

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3. 25 of 29 people found the following review helpful

   
   Works fine, but a couple of design flaws, February 6, 2014

   By 

   D. Hyre (Seattle, WA USA) –
   
     

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: PowerBot PB1020 Qi Enabled Wireless Charger with Micro USB Cable for Smartphones & Tablets – Black (Wireless Phone Accessory)

   It works – I get a 640ma charge, whereas plugging in directly gives me 1200ma. Sure, it’s not a 2000ma 1.5 hour charge, but I charge more often because I just have to set my phone down. If I REALLY need the juice, and can leave the phone for a bit, I plug it in directly. Yes, it gets a little warm, but not hot. My phone would get warm on a 1-2 amp charge anyway.

   Pros:
   – small size = big win. Mounting this to my phone cradle in my car + bluetooth receiver = wireless NIRVANA. Most others are too big.
   – Rubber rings on front & back cushion and keep the phone in place
   – Beep confirms correct placement (small size + large phone means you can’t see the LED that tells you if your phone is aligned correctly – although my S4 screen also confirms wireless charging)

   Cons:
   – USB Port – CONSTRUCTION: *very* cheep feeling – all USB cables I tried with this felt loose, and fell out of the device if the cord was bumped even a little bit, or just from cable tension over time – this makes it VERY unreliable. No time gained if I have to keep plugging the charger in, instead of the phone!
   – USB Port – SIZE: most of the USB cables I tried would not fit because of the shell opening. For some reason, they have recessed the USB port, rather than having it right on the surface, as most devices do. Then, they cut an opening in the shell to accommodate the plastic ‘grip’ on USB cables – EXCEPT IT IS TOO SMALL. Sure, they provide 2 USB cables that do fit, BUT, a LOT of USB chargers (esp. automotive) come with a built-in cable, so switching cables is NOT an option
   – Beep is LOUD – far louder than it needs to be – I would think this would normally be used in a home or office, not a factory, so 1/10th the volume would have been sufficient. A switch to select volume (100%/20%/0%) would be a premium solution

   Net/net: if it weren’t for the USB port design flaws, I would be buying a bunch of these to put around my house, bedroom, office, and car.
   But because of them, I must continue my quest for wireless Nirvana…

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