Samsung’s bundled in their new Wireless Charger Duo as part of their Galaxy Watch promotion in the UK and some other countries. Initially, the product was delayed with first stock being delivered by 30th September and now customers in the UK are beginning to get their valued added gift. Let us have a look how it works and see if its a purchase you need to make.
The overall design of the Wireless Charger Duo is quite minimal, functional, and definitely looks at home on your desk. The only thing that might be holding you back from purchasing it is the cost. Currently priced at £79.99 from Amazon UK and $114 Amazon US, this is not a cheap purchase.
Wireless FAST chargers are good, as in they are a convenient way to place your device and keep it charging, and definitely faster than standard wireless chargers, but they are still no match for a fast charger that is plugged in directly via a cable. Another point to keep in mind is that other wireless chargers can output up to 10W of power, whereas, the Wireless Duo charger gets up to 7.5W. In practice, this might mean a 30 minutes charging difference to full on a device like the Galaxy S9.
The device has a soft matte material to it and features soft pads on the bottom so it doesn’t slip around on your desktop. There is a single USB-C charging input port on the back of the unit and it comes with a Samsung heavy duty charger, that outputs up to 2.1A, enough to charge a couple of smartphones or a smartphone and a smartwatch. Available in both a glossy black and a glassy white, helping you color coordinate with your desk and surroundings.
Does the Samsung Wireless Charger Duo ONLY work with Samsung devices?
No. Samsung chargers follow the published Qi charging specification, which means it will also charge devices from other manufacturers that follow this same spec. This works with both the Smartphone side as well as the smart watch side. The smartphone side has two coils for charging that lets you position your phone vertically or horizontally. The smartwatch side only has one coil and is flat.
Can the Samsung Wireless Charger Duo work with older Gear S2, Gear S3, and Gear Sport Smartwatches?
The charger will work with the Gear S3, Frontier and Classic, and also the Gear Sport. It will not however work with the Gear S2
Can the Samsung Wireless Charger Duo charge Apple’s iPhone?
Short Answer – Yes. As stated earlier, the Samsung Wireless Charger Duo supports Qi wireless technology and therefore will work with the iPhone 8 or newer smartphones in that series.
Can the Samsung Wireless Charger Duo charge the Apple Watch?
Short Answer – No. The Apple watch does charge using Qi technology, but their specific implementation of it requires a special charger. There are other chargers that are compatible with the Apple watch, just not this one.
Should you buy the Galaxy Duo Charger?
If you have multiple smartphones that support wireless charging, especially fast charging, or if you have a smartphone and smartwatch, then this can be a good solution. It looks nice and sleek, only requires one power plug & cable, and looks at home on your office desk or your bedside table. The only downside is the price and if that is not an issue for you then get buying. Else, there are a number of Wireless smartphone and smartwatch chargers that will do the same job and more like 50% of the cost of the Duo.
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Check out the unboxing and hand on video:
