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bj097

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 27, 2013
347
23
Could there be any safety risk to the health or to the phone?
I found a very cheap wireless charging pad in a nearby shop with no name brand, sold for $5, what a shocking price to me when Apple's magsafe is about $40
 
Knock off stuff like that simply can't be trusted. Always a danger of a fire or another problem which could endanger your phone. I would stay away from it.
 
Knock off stuff like that simply can't be trusted. Always a danger of a fire or another problem which could endanger your phone. I would stay away from it.
It isn't a copy, it is from no name brand only.
 
I agree with @chscag. You're taking a chance when you plug your $1000 phone into a questionable device (or place it on the device, in the case of a charging pad), not only the possibility of electrical problem (its not going to be UL tagged, you can be sure of that), but it also may not perform properly in delivering charge to the phone. In fact it almost certainly will not perform similarly to an Apple charger or similar product from a reputable company.
 
I have a no-name charger which works fine, although I paid more than $5 for it (can't remember exactly). If its powered by USB there will be no danger of a fire; if it plugs directly into the wall, then maybe so.
I also believe I've read that the iPhone itself "learns" your charging schedule, charges up to 80%, then shuts down in the phone until its almost the time that you usually pick your phone up, and then finishes recharging to 100%.
I don't see how magnetic induction could otherwise hurt your phone, but I'm an ME/IE, not an Electrical Engineer.
 
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The heat of your device will give you a good idea of whether it’s dodgy or not.

I noticed with a 3rd party 2-in-1 charger I purchased of Amazon, that my AirPods case was noticeably warmer than when using with the MagSafe charger. I didn’t like the heat, so stopped using it.
 
The heat of your device will give you a good idea of whether it’s dodgy or not.

I noticed with a 3rd party 2-in-1 charger I purchased of Amazon, that my AirPods case was noticeably warmer than when using with the MagSafe charger. I didn’t like the heat, so stopped using it.
The Belkin 3x1 did that with my airpods and it’s not cheap, apples magsafe doesn’t.
 
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Same thing. You can't compare a $5 no name wireless charger to the one that Apple sells for $40. But, it's your phone..... ;)
How about the one (wireless charging pad) that sells for $13 which is the Amazon brand?
 
One problem I found with no-name (and even some name-brand) Qi chargers is RF interference. As a ham radio operator I found that they caused havoc on many radio frequencies.

While this might not affect you it could cause interference to your neighbors and you would be responsible for mitigating it if it does.
 
$5 is lower than I’ve seen. I have one in the $16 range that charges watch and AirPods too and have been using it for 2 years without issue.

Also got mophie dual wireless charger from apple a year ago for $70 it was one of the worst purchased I ever made in terms of chargers.

Price isn’t always everything.
 
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