Will my mobile phone be supported with this wireless charger?
If your charger is Qi-certified, it should accept all compatible devices, whether it be from Samsung, Apple or other.
But the thing to look out for is wattage and power. Most will charge Android devices at around 10W, whereas third-party chargers which accept Apple will likely keep it at 5W-7.5W (Apple limits the charging speed of their phone batteries). Genuine Apple products which charge the latest models may be able to use 15W, though.
You want to get a charger which will give your phone (or another device) enough power without going overboard. Therefore, try to stick to buying a charger which explicitly says it will accept your make and model of phone.
As well, some have just been tested with certain products, so sticking with certain ones is another way to guarantee everything is safe.
Is wireless charging better than wired?
This is a big debate and depends on your outlook on technology.
Yes, because it is a lot easier to set up. No fiddling with wires, trying to find your wire, or dealing with frayed wire ends. Anybody with an Apple product especially will know that frayed ends can actually be quite common.
Some will also accept different brands, so if you have an iPhone which needs a Lightning cable, and a Samsung device with a USB-C, you could charge both with one item, again without being overloaded with cables.
But wireless chargers aren’t as fast as most wired connections, especially if the cable is dedicated to that product. They can also conduct heat which is wasted energy, and although most brands have limited this, it still makes them slightly less energy-efficient.
How does wireless charging work?
Wireless charging isn’t new. Think about your electric toothbrush. Electricity pioneer Nikola Tesla actually demonstrated magnetic resonant coupling in the 19th Century.
Charging pads contain an induction coil which creates an electromagnetic field. The item being charged, such as your mobile phone, has a receiver coil which interacts with this field. This is why only compatible phones can be charged and not that old Blackberry from 10 years ago.
How large the copper coils are then decides how far the electromagnetic field can travel. Because they’re relatively compact in a charging pad, your phone has to be sitting on the pad in just the right spot to communicate with it.