review – Do you suffer from cell phone battery anxiety, worrying that your phone will die at any moment, causing you to charge it every chance you get? You can carry a portable battery pack with you, but these are often too bulky or too small, and you have to carry a cable with you to keep it plugged in. What if you could magnetically attach a small battery pack to the back of your phone so you could charge it when you need it without having to stick a cable in your pocket or try to connect two separate devices with a cable between them? Zero offers a solution in the form of their new wireless Qi Pad and Travel Cube.
What is it?
Zero’s Wireless Qi Pad is a small battery pack designed to attach magnetically to the back of your phone for wireless charging on the go. Their Travel Cube is a high-capacity battery pack and double-sided Qi charger that lets you charge external devices via USB-C, as well as charge their two wireless Qi pads to help keep your device ready for any things to come.
Zero sent me two of their wireless Qi Pads and a Travel Cube. There’s also a third product in the lineup, the Home Dock, which has two slots for charging a wireless Qi Pad, and a built-in standalone Qi pad for charging a phone or other Qi-enabled device.
What’s in the box?
Wireless Qi Pad
- Zero Wireless Qi Pad
- Magnetic pad
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Welcome Guide
travel cube
- Zero travel cube
- wall charger
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- carrying bag
- Welcome Guide
Hardware Specifications
Wireless Qi Pad
- battery capacity: 3,000mAh
- USB-C enter: 5V/2A
- USB-C output: 5V/2A
- Gas output: 5W
- weight: 102 g / 3.5 oz
- Product number: ZERO-QI-3000
- Product Size: 80 x 60 x 13.5 mm / 3.15 x 2.36 x .53 in
travel cube
- battery capacity: 10,000mAh
- USB-C enter: 5V/2A
- USB-C output: 5V/2A
- weight: 192 g / 6.7 oz
- Product number: Zero-TC-10000
- Product Size: 95 x 70 x 25 mm / 3.7 x 2.7 x 0.9 in
Design and Features
The Wireless Qi Pad and Travel Cube are small rounded rectangular devices made of smooth white plastic. The air mattress is only half an inch thick, and the travel cube is only an inch thick. One side of the air cushion is flat; this is the side that rests on the back of the phone and outputs the charge, and it also has two metal contacts that line up with the two on the Travel Cube for charging. The Qi Pad has two extra contacts on the end for charging in Zero’s Home Dock. On the other end of the Qi Pad is a USB-C connector for input or output, a button to check the battery status and turn it on, and a tricolor LED to indicate charging status.
The Travel Dock is similar to a larger version of the Qi Pad, except it has two flat sides, each with two metal contacts for powering the Qi Pad. The USB-C connector, buttons, and LEDs are all on one end and function the same as the Qi Pad. The flat sides on the Travel Dock include a raised lip around three edges to help keep the wireless Qi Pads in place while charging.
installation and setup
In order to simply use any of these battery packs as batteries, the only thing that needs to be done is to charge them before use. The Travel Cube comes with a 5V/3A USB-A power adapter, or you can use a standard USB charger to charge it or Qi Pads.
If you want to use a wireless Qi Pad that attaches magnetically to the back of your phone, they come with a magnetic pad that sticks to the back of your phone and magnetically grabs the Qi Pad to align it correctly with the Qi coil on your phone. The magnetic pad comes with a thin plastic film that needs to be removed to reveal the sticky pad, which is the part you attach to your phone. Thankfully, this sticky surface isn’t so sticky that it clings and can’t be removed. In my testing, I was able to attach and remove it multiple times to get the position just right without issue. I can’t say how long this will stick to the phone, but I think it should last a long time as long as your phone isn’t super rough. Zero says you can use tape to remove lint or other debris from sticky surfaces, or clean with clean tap water (no soap) and let it air dry to help make it sticky again.
Zero means you can use a case up to 4mm thick with a wireless Qi Pad. I attached one of the magnetic pads to the back of my Google Pixel 6, then put on the case, the magnets held the battery pack, and charged the phone through the case without any noticeable difference in charging speed (compared to the other 5W Qi charger, which In other words, not super fast but usable). The case does bulge slightly on the sides of the phone, which is not ideal, but I can accept it as a compromise since it can be charged from the battery pack on the back of the phone without having to keep the cable and battery in my pocket all the time .
is using
Using any of these products is not easy. Remembering to charge them is probably the hardest part. If it wasn’t in front of me every day, I might have forgotten to charge them, but luckily the lithium-ion batteries last a long time, so I don’t have to remember to charge them every week when they’re not being used. If you don’t mind carrying the cable with you, there’s no other way than to plug it in when it goes low. If you want to stick it on the back of the phone, just stick the magnetic pad, just put the battery pack on the back of the phone, and press the button to turn it on. The total power you’ll get depends on the size of the battery in your phone, and how much power you have when the Qi Pad is connected. For my Google Pixel 6, which has a 4,614 mAh battery, it should charge to about 65% from dead. My iPhone 13 Pro Max has a slightly smaller battery so it will be closer to 70%. Using the Travel Cube and cable, I can charge either phone more than twice, or charge them both to 100% and still have capacity remaining.
Each battery pack has a button to check the charge and turn it on. The LED indicator has three colors to indicate charging status and level: the LED is red when charging; it turns green when fully charged. When checking the battery level, red is 20% or less, orange is 21% – 79%, and green is 80% – 100%.
Carrying a phone with a battery pack attached to the back can be a bit tricky, but it’s a major convenience compared to having the cable attached to the battery pack in your pocket. I’d say most people have no problem holding a phone with these battery packs on the back. It’s slim enough not to be too bulky. If you keep your phone in your pocket it takes up a lot of space and it’s a bit tricky to get in and out of the pocket while keeping the battery connected, but it’s something you can get used to as long as your pocket is loose enough to hold two at the same time By. If you’re using a purse or everyday carry bag, then I don’t expect the combined size of the phone and battery pack to be an issue at all.
Having both a wireless Qi pad and a USB-C connector on the Qi Pad is convenient in several ways. First, you can charge the Qi Pad itself via USB-C or the Travel Cube. Second, if your phone isn’t Qi compatible, or you’re using a case that gets in the way of the Qi coil, you can still use the USB-C cable to charge your phone. You can also charge Bluetooth headphones or other devices like an iPad or Android tablet via the USB-C output. Third, you can charge your phone via Qi while charging another phone or device using the USB-C output. Granted, the 3,000 mAh capacity won’t fully charge these devices, but it’s a great feature if you need a little extra power to get through the rest of the day.
The Travel Cube can also charge multiple devices at the same time, albeit a little differently. You can use it to charge up to two wireless Qi Pads, while also charging your phone or other device using the USB-C output. You can also use the Wireless Qi Pads to output power to other devices while you’re charging them on the Travel Cube, so you can theoretically charge up to five devices – all three battery packs and two phones or a phone and a Bluetooth headset , or something similar.
what do I like
- Travel Cube includes a 5V/3A charger
- Conveniently charge your phone without extra cables
- Wireless Qi Pad and Travel Cube Offer Multiple Charging Options
- 2A output via USB-C for faster charging of devices when necessary
what would i change
- I want to see the MagSafe version of the recent iPhone
- black option
- USB-C charger instead of USB-A charger and USB-A to USB-C cable
final thoughts
Keeping phones, bluetooth earbuds, tablets, etc. fully charged throughout the day is a necessity for many of us. Zero gives us a convenient way to keep our devices charged without creating too much bulk or hassle.
price: Wireless Qi Pad – $49.99, Travel Cube – $59.99, Home Dock – $59.99
Where to buy: myzerocharge.com
source: The sample for this review was provided by Zero.For more information visit their Place.
