Battery life of smart devices is crucial especially in the life of busy business executives, content creators (like me) or social media addicts (me, too). There’s nothing worse than being caught without juice in the course of the day. For those who carry power banks, great. For those who don’t, a car charger provides a handy option (for those who drive that is) to give a quick recharge in between drives. Like power banks, there are various types—from stubby ones that require a cable, to wireless ones that let you conveniently drop your device into the cradle to get juiced. Thanks to CHOETECH Malaysia, I had the opportunity to test out their 2-in-1 Qi Wireless Car Charger (T536-S).
CHOETECH, as you may know, is a Shenzhen-based brand specialising in mobile accessories like wireless chargers, car chargers, cable and hubs, and more. You may want to check out the previous review I did of the CHOETECH 3 Coils 10W Fast Charge Wireless Charger (T513-S). Not a mainstream brand, but they make rock solid products nonetheless.
So, back to the review proper.
Design and build
Finished in black, the CHOETECH car charger is sturdy in build. It requires some assembly—you’ll need to attach the air vent clip to the main cradle by snapping it in place. There’s a pivot ball that allows 360-degree rotation so you’ll always be able to find the right display angle of your phone.
On the rear right is a light indicator, which I find is an awkward position since you’ll never see it. Would have made more sense if it was on one of the arms, or somewhere visible from the front.
Speaking of which, the main cradle consists of three arms, one on each side and a silicon-padded bottom arm. The arms are not spring-loaded like most phone cradles out there in the market, so it doesn’t offer a tight grip of your device. CHOETECH calls it a gravity linkage design, where the side arms close in to offer support as you lower your device into the cradle. It’s a different take on the conventional grippy mechanism, but I think it works well. Makes it easy to remove your phone, too.
Because it’s an air vent mount-type design, it will not fit all cars. It certainly puts Mercs out of the equation, but hey, you can’t please everyone.
At the bottom of the cradle is a micro-USB charge port and you’ll need to attach the bundled micro-USB to USB-A cable to a car power adapter.
What’s in the box
- CHOETECH Fast Wireless Car Charger with Air Vent Mount
- 1.2M micro-USB charge cable
- User manual
Key features
The CHOETECH wireless car charger is a single coil charger with a built-in smart chip that offers over-current, overheat, over-voltage and short circuit protection. If that isn’t assuring enough, the brand offers an 18-month warranty.
Also, the charger trickle charges when the phone battery is 95 percent charge to prolong battery life and enhance charging safety.
The charger provides two charge modes: fast charge (for Qi-compatible devices) and standard charge. In terms of fast charging, it supports up to 10W fast charging for flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10 series, and Galaxy Note9, Galaxy S6 series and later, Galaxy Note5 and later.
Other flagship devices like the Huawei Mate 20 series, Huawei P30 series, iPhone 8/8 Plus and later, support up to 7.5W fast charging.
Performance
Like mentioned earlier, there’s some assembly required if you can consider it that. It’s literally just forcing the ball joint into the main cradle’s crevice. OK, there I said it.
Once that’s done, all you need to do is attach the non-slip clamp on an available air-con vent. Connect the USB cable from the car charger to the cradle and you’re good to go.
Caveat: In order to enjoy the full benefits of fast charging, you’ll need to have a Quick Charge 2.0./3.0 capable power adapter or car charger. Otherwise, a regular 5V/2A charger will give you standard charge speeds. I use a 3-port Aukey QC 3.0 car charger (SRP: MYR99) which is capable of 3.6V-6.5V/3A, 6.5V/2A and 9V-12V/1.5A output. Or you can also try CHOETECH’s 30W QC 3.0 Dual-USB Fast Charging Car Charger (SRP: MYR43.90).
Performance
I tested the wireless charger with my Samsung Galaxy S10+, iPhone XR, iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy Note9, and all worked flawlessly.
Newer flagship Samsung devices will charge faster than iPhones, just because the former supports up to 10W fast charging, while the latter maxes out at 7.5W.
It isn’t a huge difference, and theoretically, the devices will charge up within 2-2.5 hours based on their supported output range. In all honesty, I never quite charged a device from zero to full, since it’s highly unlikely to be doing that in a car. It does help greatly when you’re running desperately low on juice though, a more likely scenario. That said, on long distant drives, it’s especially handy to keep devices at 100 percent while playing music or navigating with Waze or Google Maps.
I found the devices kept cool throughout, despite being slightly burned by the Malaysian sun through the windshield.
Perhaps the only downside to the air-con vent-type design is that you’ll have one less vent to keep you cool.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Well-built
- Unconventional but practical cradle mechanism
- Excellent fast charging performance
- Safety features
- Stays cool while charging
- Flexible angle adjustment
- 18-month warranty
Cons
- Doesn’t come with power adapter
- Doesn’t fit all cars
- Won’t fit all phones especially with bulky casing
- Blocks air-con vent
Pricing and availability
The CHOETECH 2-in-1 Qi Wireless Car Charger (T536-S) retails for MYR68.80 (USD35.09) and it can be purchased via the CHOETECH Malaysia store on Lazada Malaysia or via www.ichoetech.com.
You can use promo code “CHOE80EY” to save 20% on your order at www.ichoetech.com.
Verdict
I can strongly recommend CHOETECH 2-in-1 Qi Wireless Car Charger for those looking for a car phone cradle cum wireless charger. It’s well-built, affordable and offers safe, speedy charging for your smartphones.
