Disadvantages of Wireless Charging Laptops and Cell Phones

We’re all used to different charger wired as the modern technological society demands that we have our portable devices always with us, ready to be used. Although wired are still the most common way of charging out devices – especially our mobile phones and laptops – a new method has been on the rise in recent years, and that is wireless charging. Both public places and private users have wireless charging ports and although still not dominant, it is a growing phenomenon that is applied more and more around the world.

While the practicalities of wireless charging are more than obvious, people tend to ignore or miss the disadvantages of this process. This is why we have decided to present to you the most common disadvantages of charging your portable devices wirelessly and show you what you need to watch out for and consider before doing it. 

The Main Disadvantages of Wireless Charging

1. Additional Cost to Buy a Wireless Charger

The first thing you have to consider in this situation is whether your device is actually compatible with wireless charging. If it’s not, you don’t have a problem, but if it is – you might have one. Namely, all devices – whether they support wireless charging or not – are usually equipped with a USB wired for charging and rarely a portable wireless charging port.

This means that, if you want to charge your device wirelessly, you have to buy a charger separately, which means that you have to spend additional money. Although wireless chargers aren’t generally that expensive and you can find a lot of good models that are not expensive, it is nevertheless an additional expenditure that you might not want. 

2. Wireless Chargers Might be Hard to Find

Although they might seem practical, wireless chargers are, – as we’ve said – not that common. Most public places nowadays have special charging stations where you can charge your device and they mostly have wired chargers. The same goes for your friends, colleagues, workplaces, and whatnot. People still rely on wired and wherever you go, you’ll usually find a wired suitable for your device.

Laptops can be a bit trickier than mobile phones here, but even that is not such a big issue nowadays. If you rely on wireless chargers, you’ll probably find yourself in a situation where one is not really available, because people don’t use them and don’t have them. So, in this case, it is always better to have a wired charger ready, despite being a fan of wireless charging stations. 

3. You Have to Position Your Device Perfectly on the Charger

Wireless charging stations are very specific and require an unusual amount of precision from you. Namely, when you have a device that you can charge wirelessly, you have to be aware that it will only charge if it’s precisely placed so that the device can receive the signal from the charger.

And while this might not be an overly difficult task to achieve, you have to be aware that you cannot move your device while in a charging position. Not even a bit. This may prove a difficult task because you’ll have to avoid even the slightest movements and you know how that can be difficult.

You might hit the table a bit harder with your elbow and the vibration will move the device just enough for it to stop charging. And imagine you not noticing it immediately, but leaving it believing it’s charging for several hours, only to return and find out that your device is even less charged than before! Oh, the horror!

4. It Is Hard to Use Your Phone While Charging

We all know that wired chargers allow us to freely continue using our phones because the charger charges faster than we can actually drain the battery. This is a good thing as the charging process doesn’t actually interrupt you using the device, although you have to be near the charger, as the wired is not endless.

On the other hand, wireless chargers require you to place your device on top of it and it significantly decreases your maneuvering techniques, making it almost impossible for you to use your phone while on a wireless charger. It’s not only impractical, but it can also interrupt the charging process (see #3), which you definitely wouldn’t want happening at some point. 

5. Wireless Chargers Are Usually Pretty Large

This one might seem a bit ironic, but wireless chargers are very difficult to move about. Why? Well, they’re large. They’re usually so large that carrying it would be quite impractical, if not actually impossible. This cannot be said about regular wired chargers, as they are both small and flexible enough to fit into your pocket if you’re not carrying a bag or something around with you.

Wireless chargers are specifically shaped and they have to have a pad where you place your device, which actually means that these pads take up size, because they’re adapted to different shapes, sizes, and types of devices, which can be a significant issue when you’re thinking of carrying it with you. Wired, on the other hand, is very practical. 

6. Wireless Chargers Are Not Universal

This is a very significant issue if you have a lot of different devices. Wired chargers are usually universal or, if not that, fit with a variety of different devices (laptops are also specific here, but there are solutions even to that issue), which means that you don’t have to buy a variety of wired for a variety of devices (Apple’s devices might be specific here, but you probably knew that already), plus – wired are significantly cheaper.

Wireless charges tend to pose significant compatibility issues as they cannot be used on many devices, which means that you’ll have to buy a larger number of chargers if you have a lot of devices, and since wireless chargers are more expensive than wired, that could turn into a significant expense (see #1). 

7. Wireless Charging Is Slower than Wired Charging

Since wired charges directly use the power line and have direct contact with the device, they’ll charge your device a lot faster than wireless chargers. This is a big advantage if you use your device a lot and need it fully charged more often than not; plus, along with the other benefits, this is a significant advantage for wired chargers.

Because there is no direct connection between the charger and the device, wireless chargers charge your device significantly slower; some studies show that they do it from 30% to 80% slower than regular wired chargers, which is a large percentage. The good thing is that this will probably change in the future when wireless technology improves so that it becomes as effective as wired charging. 

Can Wireless Charging Damage the Battery?

The simple answer to this question is – no, it cannot. It doesn’t actually make any difference whether you’re using a wired charger or a wireless one. The batteries aren’t manufactured to depend on that, but rather on some other elements, like usage, a predetermined number of cycles, heat, etc.

So, you will have to watch out for the elements, you will have to use your phone moderately and watch out for the general battery life your battery has. Whether you’re charging your device using a wire or wirelessly doesn’t really make much difference. Wireless charging has its benefits, but it also has its downsides; luckily, reducing your battery life is not one of them, which means that you can use it freely if that was your (main) concern while mulling the question over. 

This covers our analysis of the topic for today. For more information, keep following us and stay tuned for more of the same.