Apple may have been a bit too early when it decided to cut the cords and dream for a truly wireless future with the launch of the iPhone 7, the first iPhone with wireless charging. This wasn’t an industry first but Apple’s entry into the game set the stage for other manufacturers to follow and innovate in the area. More than two years later, Huawei has taken a new spin on wireless technology and launched the Mate 20 Pro, which not only charges its battery wirelessly but is also capable of charging other devices wirelessly by acting as an induction plate itself. Now, that’s something amazing.
Today, I’m taking a look at another amazing product from Huawei, i.e. the fastest wireless charger in the world, rated at 15 watts. Besides charging the Mate 20 Pro at 15W, this wireless charger can also charge Samsung flagships, iPhones, Google Pixel devices, and other Qi-compliant devices. In this review of the Huawei Wireless Charger, I’ll be taking a look at its performance and see how justified is its price tag of Rs 3,999. Let’s get started with what’s inside the box of the 15W Huawei Wireless Charger.
Huawei Wireless Charger (15W) Box Contents
The wireless charger comes in a larger-than-expected packaging with a lot of heft, leaving you the impression that there is a lot packed inside this box. But, in fact, there are only two key things inside the box, and these are:
- Huawei 15W Wireless Charger
- USB-A to USB-C cable for power
Besides these two, you’ll find two thick user manuals which actually account for the bulk of the box. To be able to fetch the highest charging speed out of the wireless charger, you need a Huawei 40W wall adapter, the same as available with the Mate 20 Pro. But unfortunately, it is not available inside the box, at least not in India. However, the surprising – and rather, disappointing – fact is that the international variant of the wireless charger does come with the official 40W charging brick.
The company has shown the same disparity in the past, and while things are improving, we would have preferred a fuller package. Nonetheless, that shouldn’t bother you if you own the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which has that adapter.
Let’s take a look at the design and the build of the wireless larger.
Huawei Wireless Charger (15W) Design and Build
From the top, Huawei’s fast charger resembles a plain white puck, which is perhaps the standard look for wireless charger, as seen in the supplied unit with the Mi MIX 3. Looking at the device from the bottom, the Huawei Wireless Charger is shaped much like a saucer with a red circle running along its circumference. When a phone is charging, a small LED indicator – below this red line – lights up. This LED indicator only glows in white, regardless of whether your phone is still charging, has a critically low battery, or has charged fully.
The LED on the front lines up with the USB-C port on the back, which takes in the cable. The company’s choice of USB-C over micro USB or a standard barrle plug is great. This is because USB-C finally appears to be catching up not just on smartphones, but also peripherals and smartphone enhancements, replacing older and slower micro USB.
The top of the wireless charger is coated with a matte white silicon surface that has a soft and rubbery finish to prevent the smartphone from slipping off from any vibration or due to accidental nudges. However, this surface is prone to catching tiny fibers from table-top linen or even your clothes. Holding the wireless charger with sweaty hands might also leave some smudges on it. However, all of this can be cleaned if you’re willing to take the time and caution since the charger is not certified for protection against water or cleaning liquids. Use a damp microfibre cloth instead of a wet one.
The 15W wireless charger does not feel hefty and can be lugged around in a bag without adding a lot of bulk. It also feels very solid and doesn’t look like it would break easily.
Overall, if you can bear with the surface that may attract dirt or smudges, you’ll be good to go with the Huawei Wireless Charger. The assuring build quality makes up for it, besides the promise of the fastest wireless charging speeds. As we will see now.
Huawei Wireless Charger (15W) Performance
I tested the Huawei Wireless Charger for its charging performance with an array of top performing smartphones including the intended beneficiary Huawei Mate 20 Pro along with Samsung Galaxy Note 9, iPhone X, and the Pixel 3 XL and the time taken for charging these phones fully was:
- Huawei Mate 20 Pro (4,200 mah) – 160 minutes (2 hours 40 minutes)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (4,000 mAh) – 230 minutes (3 hours 50 minutes)
- Apple iPhone X (2,716 mAh) – 180 minutes (3 hours)
- Google Pixel 3 XL (3,430 mAh) – 260 minutes (4 hours 20 minutes)
Please Note: These charging durations were calculated using Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s 40W charger since charging with other chargers, including OnePlus’ Dash Charge-compliant adapter, was much slower.
Comparing the battery size and the charging time for each of the flagship smartphones listed above should give you a rough idea about the performance of the Huawei Wireless Charger, and how it’s best suited for the Mate 20 Pro over other phones. However, let me help you with a clearer analysis with this graph below:
As you can see in this plot of total battery capacity (in mAh) and the increase in battery level over time, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, with the largest slope, has the fastest rate of charging.
It is followed by the Galaxy Note 9, which supports a maximum wireless charging rate of 10W, the iPhone X capped at 7.5W, and the Google Pixel 3 XL which only charges at 5W – although it can charge at 10W using the proprietary Pixel Stand wireless charger.
This concludes that while the Huawei Wireless Charger works with any Qi-compliant device, it will best complement the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Even in the case of Mate 20 Pro, the charging rate is not very appealing given the wired charger takes only 30 minutes to go from zero to 100% and less than an hour to charge the battery fully. However, if you want to be ahead of the curve with your Mate 20 Pro, and want the fastest wireless charger to accompany it, think no further.
These charging speeds cannot be guaranteed with other charging bricks and were much lower with the OnePlus 6’s Dash Charger which that I used along with the wireless charger.
All said and done, let’s take a quick look at what works for the Huawei Wireless Charger and what doesn’t.
Huawei Wireless Charger (15W): Pros and Cons
The 15W wireless charger from Huawei lives up to its claims of faster wireless charging than any other existing competitor. Its universal compatibility is great for anyone who uses multiple devices with wireless charging, except the Google Pixel 3. There are, however, a few trade-offs.
Pros
- Fastest wireless charger in the world
- USB-C port
- Minimal and sturdy design
- Skid-proof surface
Cons
- Real benefit for Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro users
- Huawei’s 40W wall adapter sold separately
- White exterior picks up smudges
- LED glows in a single color
Huawei Wireless Charger (15W): A Great Mate for The Mate 20 Pro
The 15W wireless charger from Huawei is truly the world’s fastest wireless charger. It is undeniably a great accessory for anyone who owns the Huawei Mate 20 Pro or even the Mate 20 (but not for the Mate 20 X, which does not support wireless charging).
However, for anyone who doesn’t own a Huawei flagship, the deal does not really work out since the charger doesn’t work on guaranteed speeds with any wall adapter other than the proprietary 40W wall adapter. The adapter is currently not available for purchase separately in many markets, but as I mentioned above, it is sold within the box in certain regions. So, you’ll have to check for that. Apart from this offering from Huawei, you can take a look at the Anker PowerPort 10W wireless charger, which is available for Rs 3,039 in India.
Even so, if you’re either using the Huawei Mate 20 or planning to buy one in India, the 15W wireless charger from Huawei will be an excellent accessory with superb value for money to let you get rid of the pain of cable management.
Buy the 15W Huawei Wireless Charger on Amazon (Rs 3,999)
