Can Your Device Wirelessly Charge?

Ever wondered what wireless charging is and if your device is capable of charging wirelessly? Well we aim to help you find out and even have some clever gadgets to transform your device if it isn’t.

What is wireless charging?

Let’s start with what is wireless charging. Wireless charging is where you place your phone on a stand or mat and power is transferred to the device, although the device does need to be touching the charger you don’t actually need to plug anything into the phone.

A couple of downsides for wireless charging is that it is often slower than plugging your cable into the phone, however there are some faster chargers available now if your phone supports it, but these can cause your phone to heat up which can deteriorate quicker.

The best way I’ve found to use wireless charging is on a bedside table, so you can place your phone on it over night and then wake up with a full battery no matter how slow it charges.

Is your device wireless charging capable?

The easiest way to find out if you have a wireless charging compatible device is to place it on a wireless charger, however it’s completely possible you do not have a wireless charger yet. So below is a list of devices that do not support wireless charging out of the box but some of which you can get an adapter for.

If your phone appears here, you need the accessory linked and a wireless charger.

  • Apple: iPhone 7iPhone 7 PlusiPhone SEiPhone 6SiPhone 6S PlusiPhone 5S
  • Samsung: Galaxy A72 5G/A72, Galaxy A52 5G/A52, Galaxy A42 5G, Galaxy A32 5G/A32, Galaxy A22 5G/A22 4G, Galaxy A12, Galaxy A02s, Galaxy A02 Galaxy A71, Galaxy A51, Galaxy A41, Galaxy A31, Galaxy A21, Galaxy A01, Galaxy A90 5G, Galaxy A80, Galaxy A70s, Galaxy A70, Galaxy A60, Galaxy A50s, Galaxy A50, Galaxy A40, Galaxy A30s, Galaxy A30, Galaxy A20s, Galaxy A20e, Galaxy A20, Galaxy A10e, Galaxy A10, Galaxy A8 2018, Galaxy M40 Galaxy M30s, Galaxy M30, Galaxy M20, Galaxy M10, Galaxy S5Galaxy S4Galaxy S3Galaxy Note 3Galaxy Note 2
  • Huawei: P40, P40 Lite, P30 Lite, P30, P20 Pro, P20, P20 Lite
  • Nokia: 7.2, 7 Plus, 6.2, 6.1 Plus, 8.1, 7.1, 6, 2.2
  • LG: Stylo 5
  • OnePlus: Nord 2 5G, Nord CE 5G, Nord N200 5G, Nord N10, Nord, 8, 7T Pro, 7T, 7, 6T, 6, 5, 3T, 3, 2, 1
  • Sony: Xperia 10 III, Xperia 5 III, Xperia 5 II, Xperia 5, Xperia 1, Xperia Z5, Xperia 10 Plus, Xperia XZ3, Xperia 10, Xperia X Performance, Xperia X Compact, Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia Z3Xperia Z2Xperia Z
  • Google: Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 2, Pixel XL, Pixel
  • Microsoft: Lumia 930Lumia 925Lumia 830

aircharge MFi Qi iPhone 6S / 6 Wireless Charging Case - Black

Universal wireless charging adapters

If your phone isn’t listed above, then you’ll need a universal adapter and wireless charger. You can get these for phones with Micro USB ports (e.g. Android) and Lightning ports (e.g. iPhone).

You have a choice of an internal adapter, which slides into the back of a case, and an external adapter, which hangs outside. In most cases, we recommend internal adapters.

Internal adapter External adapter
Micro USB (Android) N/A aircharge
Lightning (iPhone) Lightning Adapter aircharge
USB C (Android) Ultra-Thin N/A

Phones and tablets with built-in Qi wireless charging

If your phone is among one of the devices that appear here, you just need to buy a wireless charger. Note that you don’t need to get a wireless charger made by the same company as your phone, e.g. Samsung wireless chargers work just fine with the iPhone X.

  • Apple iPhone: 13 Pro Max, 13 Pro, 13, 13 Mini, 12 Pro Max, 12 Pro, 12, 12 mini, SE 2020, 11 Pro Max, 11 Pro, 11, XS Max XS, XR, 8, 8 Plus,
  • Samsung Galaxy: Z Fold 3 5G, Z Flip 3 5G, S21 Ultra, S21 Plus, S21, Z Fold 2 5G, Z Flip 5G, Note 20 Ultra, Note 20, S20 FE, S20 Ultra, S20 Plus, S20, Z Flip, Note 10 Plus 5G, Note 10 Plus, Note 10, S10 5G, S10 Plus, S10, S10e, Note 9, S9, S9+, Note 8, S8, S8+, S7, S7 Edge  (Plus more devices)
  • Sony: Xperia 1 III, Xperia 1 II, Xperia 10 II, Xperia XZ3, Xperia XZ2 Premium, Xperia XZ2 (Plus more devices)
  • LG: Velvet, G8 ThinQ, G7 ThinQ, V30, G6 (US version only), G4 (optional), G3 (optional) (Plus more devices)
  • OnePlus: 9 Pro, 9,  8 Pro
  • Nokia: 9.3 PureView, 9 PureView, 8 Sirocco
  • Huawei: P40 Pro+, P40 Pro, Mate 30 Pro, P30 Pro, Mate 20 Pro
  • Motorola: Edge+, X Force, Droid Turbo 2, Moto Maxx
  • Microsoft Lumia: 1520, 1020, 930, 929, 928, 920
  • Google: Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3
  • Nexus: Nexus 6, Nexus 5
  • BlackBerry: Priv (Plus more devices)

Wireless chargers

Once you’ve determined your phone has wireless charging built in or you’ve added it with an accessory, you just need a wireless charger.

There are plenty of Qi wireless chargers available, in different sizes, shapes and colours. You can get Qi chargers for your desk, for your car, or even portable Qi battery packs. One of our favourites is the Slim 15W Fast Wireless Charging Pad from Olixar, thanks to it’s sleek modern styling and super fast charging speeds, or see all of our Qi wireless chargers here.

If you have an iPhone 12, 13 or 14 series phone then you can also get a MagSafe charger. These are normal wireless chargers but with a ring of magnets on the back so it snaps onto your phone and lines up perfectly with the charging coils on the phone.

Official Apple iPhone 13 MagSafe Qi Enabled Fast Wireless Charger

Videos

Our video team has made some excellent videos explaining wireless charging. Take a look at one of the videos linked below!

I hope this helps you find out if your phone is wireless charging compatible.

Mark Holmes

Mark is our Product Marketing Specialist with a background of 7 years in marketing. When not researching about the latest tech gadgets to make his life easier he is most likely watching Formula 1.