My Quest for Wireless Charging with an Otterbox Ended with Companies Called Youshares and Saneo

YouShares Fast Wireless ChargerMy recent migration to a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge had me all excited about the prospects of wireless charging.  Right after selecting an Otterbox Defender as my day to day case, my excitement abated slightly as I remembered how thick this case was.  Thankfully I found two products that worked.  The first is called Seneo and the second was Youshares.

Otterbox and Wireless Chargers Don’t Always Play Nice

Settling on a wireless charging pad was no easy feat as I tried several other brands.  The issue is the Otterbox Defender.  While I am very fond of the Otterbox Defender, Qi technology is not.  The thickness of the Otterbox Defender multi-layer protection gets in the way of the wireless charging.  Samsung went to the trouble of developing a tough all glass exterior to facilitate Qi and here I was getting in the way of that with my Otterbox.

Some of the other wireless chargers tried simply didn’t work with the Otterbox Defender case.  Others worked inconsistently.  Worked the first try then took several minutes to get it working again.  The two wireless chargers selected worked every time.

The Seneo Wireless Charger to the Rescue

First, let’s talk about the Seneo Wireless Charger.  It’s more of a stand than a charger and the stand ensures proper positioning of the phone in relation to the charging coils in the mount.  This is the one I use on my desk.

The charger’s design is what makes a difference.  Instead of lying flat on a desk or table, the Seneo Wireless Charger lies on a slant and includes a small shelf which holds your phone.  Unlike wireless chargers that sit horizontally on a desk, the phone makes contact and is actively charged every time without any effort to balance the phone to make contact with the charging pad.

There’s a more detailed review of the Saneo Charger which is worth a read for more detail.

The Youshares Charger is Here to Help

A Youshares Halo Wireless Fast Charging Pad sits on my dresser.  That’s what you see in the photo that accompanies this article.

The Youshares Halo Wireless Fast Charging Pad does indeed come through with adaptive fast charging support.  That was important.  My wireless charging selection needed to support the fast charging feature.

You need to remember the trick to getting the fast charging feature to work.  It’s all in the A/C adapter.  The Youshares Halo Wireless Fast Charging Pad includes a micro USB cable that’s about a meter long.  An A/C adapter is not included.

The A/C adapter has to support fast charging!  A basic A/C adapter doesn’t support fast charging.  I use the Samsung Travel Adapter which supports adaptive fast charging.  There are others out there.  This one is inexpensive and works well.  It’s made by Samsung too which is a plus for me.  Whichever brand of A/C adapter you settle on, just be sure adaptive fast charging is supported or the Youshares charger will only charge in normal mode.

Placement of my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge on the charging pad connects when placed squarely in the middle of the back of the phone.  The Youshares Halo has a light at the front that turns green when a fast charging connection is made.  The phone will acknowledge a fast charging connection with a message indicating “”Fast Charging Wirelessly”.  An estimate for when it will be fully charged will display.  The green light isn’t terribly bright which works well if used at night.

The design of the charger is somewhat unique.  A silver metal ring surrounds the charging pad.  According to Youshares, this helps to cool down the charging pad when in use.  The back of my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a bit hot after using the wireless charger but not alarmingly so.

Youshares Halo or Seneo WIreless Charger Selection

You really cannot go wrong with either of these chargers.  I found the Youshares first, then stumbled upon Seneo.  They both work well.  I prefer the Seneo for everyday use as the built in shelf helps position the phone properly.  The Youshares Halo definitely takes up less space so might work better for tight spaces.  However, if selecting between the two, and space isn’t an issue, the Seneo Wireless Charger is the better choice.