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Nomad's Upcoming 'Base Station Pro' is the Latest AirPower Alternative, Able to Charge 3 Devices in Any Position

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Nomad today shared a behind-the-scenes video that focuses on its upcoming "Base Station Pro" wireless charging mat. Similar to Apple's canceled AirPower accessory, the Base Station Pro can charge up to three devices at once in any position.

nomad-base-station-pro.jpg

Nomad worked with Aira and its "FreePower" wireless charging technology to build the Base Station Pro, which features an 18 coil matrix and proprietary algorithms that locate your smartphone in any orientation. The mat supports the Qi standard, so it's compatible with Apple's latest iPhones and any other smartphone that has Qi wireless charging support.

In the box, Nomad includes a 2 meter USB-C to USB-C braided cable and a 30W USB-C power adapter. The Base Station Pro itself measures about 8.7 inches long, 5.5 inches wide, and 0.5 inches thick.

Nomad's video shows off the Base Station Pro and how the company went about creating the device. The video and Nomad's website showcase the iPhone and AirPods on the mat, but Apple Watch charging will not be supported. Nomad currently sells the Base Station Apple Watch Edition as another AirPower alternative, which includes a dedicated charging puck for the wearable device and is priced at $139.


You can also purchase the original Base Station for $99, which charges up to two smartphones wirelessly or up to four with the integrated USB-C and USB-A ports.

Nomad has yet to reveal a price or a release date for the Base Station Pro, but those interested can sign up to be notified when it will be available for pre-order. You can head to Nomad's website for more information.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Nomad. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Article Link: Nomad's Upcoming 'Base Station Pro' is the Latest AirPower Alternative, Able to Charge 3 Devices in Any Position
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/10/11/nomad-base-station-pro/
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If it has all of the regulatory approvals (UL, etc.) and works well, I’m interested.
 
jezbd1997 said:
I’m curious why/how Apple couldn’t finalise AirPower being the biggest tech company in the world.
I’m not a wireless charging fan as of yet but these alternatives make me wonder
Click to expand...
I mean, other companies are created similar chargers yet NONE support Apple Watch without a dedicated spot. That’s the thing that Apple tried to solve with AirPower. Adding multiple Apple Watch chargers could have been one of many problems for Apple aside from the heating issue.
 
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jezbd1997 said:
I’m curious why/how Apple couldn’t finalise AirPower being the biggest tech company in the world.
I’m not a wireless charging fan as of yet but these alternatives make me wonder
Click to expand...
I’ve tried about four different charging pads and there have been issues with all of them. One of them almost overheated my AirPods case (Berlin), another is very specific about placement of the device and my most recent purchase, the SliceCharge, is extremely unreliable. So in my opinion, we are still quite far from seeing a proper AirPower alternative. I hope I’m wrong though.

Has anyone tried Nomad’s Apple Watch Edition? And is it working properly with Apple Watch, AirPods and iPhone charging simultaneously?
 
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I have their Nomad that charges 1 phone + an Apple Watch dock thing (I run a stainless steel band so my watch won't lay flat) and I love it. No issues after a year of ownership. No need for this sort of thing but I'm sure they' ll make a good product.
 
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Trik said:
I haven't seen an Airpower alternative that actually does what Apple was trying to do. Or at least one that does it well.
Click to expand...

Slicecharge Pro, now available for sale directly from Hard Cider Labs

ch1ptune said:
and my most recent purchase, the SliceCharge, is extremely unreliable.
Click to expand...

Really? How so? Mine haven't given me any issues, aside from when the watch puck is in stand mode, it relies on the magnets to also support the watch (meaning if you bump the charger, there's a good chance the watch will fall off and not charge).
 
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H3LL5P4WN said:
Slicecharge Pro, now available for sale directly from Hard Cider Labs
Click to expand...

Still doesn't do it. Watch needs to be in a specific spot.

9to5mac puts this explanation out there:
The issue, and likely the difficulty Apple has with AirPower, is that standard wireless charging coils are too large to charge the Watch – while Watch coils are too small to charge an iPhone. The only way around that is to have overlapping coils of both standard and Watch size, which creates interference issues. Hard Cider Labs hasn’t attempted this, likely figuring that if even Apple hasn’t done it yet, it’s best left alone.
 
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dewalt said:
Still doesn't do it. Watch needs to be in a specific spot.
Click to expand...

I haven't experienced that on either Pro I bought. :confused:

dewalt said:
9to5mac puts this explanation out there:
The issue, and likely the difficulty Apple has with AirPower, is that standard wireless charging coils are too large to charge the Watch – while Watch coils are too small to charge an iPhone. The only way around that is to have overlapping coils of both standard and Watch size, which creates interference issues. Hard Cider Labs hasn’t attempted this, likely figuring that if even Apple hasn’t done it yet, it’s best left alone.
Click to expand...

My theory is related to that, that the non-standard Watch coil size plus the normal sized coils caused too much heat to be considered safe.
 
Jimmy James said:
Not a fan of wireless charging. Which introduces more heat. Which, ironically, could benefit from a fan.
Click to expand...

I wish people would stop giving that same old tired justification for being too cheap to buy a $15 Qi pad.

The heat from USB-C wired charging, which operates at 24 watts, far exceeds 5-7.5 W wireless charging, and puts far more wear on the battery.
 
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konqerror said:
I wish people would stop giving that same old tired justification for being too cheap to buy a $15 Qi pad.

The heat from USB-C wired charging, which operates at 24 watts, far exceeds 5-7.5 W wireless charging, and puts far more wear on the battery.
Click to expand...

Yeah, same reason I won’t charge with that wired charger.
 
Jimmy James said:
Yeah, same reason I won’t charge with that wired charger.
Click to expand...

News flash: when you carry the phone around in your pocket, the bending and vibrations stress the solder bumps and will eventually cause the phone to fail. Clearly, you must keep the phone in a nitrogen-purged, vibration isolated, ESD-safe glovebox. Oh forget the gloves, it causes the oleophobic coating to wear off.
 
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H3LL5P4WN said:
Slicecharge Pro, now available for sale directly from Hard Cider Labs



Really? How so? Mine haven't given me any issues, aside from when the watch puck is in stand mode, it relies on the magnets to also support the watch (meaning if you bump the charger, there's a good chance the watch will fall off and not charge).
Click to expand...
I’ve had issues with the SliceCharge draining the Watch instead of charging it. More recently, it’s begun to charge for a bit, then stop, then charge again. Keeps on doing that. That happens with both Apple Watch and iPhone 😕
 
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ch1ptune said:
I’ve had issues with the SliceCharge draining the Watch instead of charging it. More recently, it’s begun to charge for a bit, then stop, then charge again. Keeps on doing that. That happens with both Apple Watch and iPhone 😕
Click to expand...

I'd (attempt) to hit them up for warranty work. Like I said, mine seem to be working just fine, but it could be that I got good ones or you got a lemon.

With my previous wireless charger, if I used a Moment case, it'd stop charging at some point after I fell asleep. Only those cases. I'd suggest swapping your case out, had you not said that it affects your Watch as well. That to me says that the power circuitry in the pad (or possibly the wall wart) is flaking out and could possibly be hazardous.
 
jezbd1997 said:
I’m curious why/how Apple couldn’t finalise AirPower being the biggest tech company in the world.
I’m not a wireless charging fan as of yet but these alternatives make me wonder
Click to expand...

apple’s was different and more advanced... these only have 3 regular wireless coils on each slot.

while apple’s could charge the iPhone and Apple Watch in any of the 3, plus transfer charging information of 3 slots to the iPhone.
 
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