ADATA is usually associated with memory and storage and I expect products from them like the DashDrive Air AE400. When I found out that they had a Qi wireless charger available, I jumped at the chance to review it. I have several wireless chargers that I really enjoy so I wanted to see what ADATA had to offer. Is the Elite CE700 Qi Wireless Charging Stand worth your money? Let’s find out.
Wireless charging is still somewhat of a niche technology, with relatively few OEMs packing it into their devices. Most companies seem to have settled on the Qi wireless standard but the technology as a whole hasn’t caught on with consumers. Google includes wireless charging capabilities in the Nexus line, but major manufacturers like Samsung require you to purchase additional accessories to wireless charge their devices. Wireless charging has some definite advantages, but some definite drawbacks as well. The ADATA Qi CE700 Wireless Charging Stand benefits and suffers from each of these.
Upon opening the box, you’ll find the charging stand, a micro USB cable, and the user manual. The company does not provide an AC adapter, which is a trend that I don’t like. A lot of accessory manufacturers are only including USB charging cables and leaving out the wall adapter as a cost-cutting measure. ADATA is assuming that you already have an AC adapter to plug-in to the wall. I had several so this wasn’t an option, but it would be nice to have a wall charger included instead of having to hunt for an extra one.
The charging stand has a shiny black finish that looks slick but attracts and shows off fingerprints. The stand looks like one piece when you take it out of the box but tit’s actually two pieces that come apart. The charging pad is one piece; the other is a metal plate. You can insert the charging pad into the plate to make a stand, or you can lay your device on the pad and charge it while it’s lying down. The charging piece has an LED indicator so you can see when your device is charging or whether there is something causing the device to not accept a charge. I found that when I had my Nexus 4 lined up properly on the charger it blocked the LED, making the indicator kind of pointless. I had to move my phone to see the LED but half the time this would cause the wireless connection to be severed. I then had to realign my phone on the pad to get it charge again.
One of the limitations of wireless charging is that the output is 5V 1A. This means that your devices will charge more slowly on a wireless charger than on a newer 2A output wall adapter. The CE700 charging stand suffers from this slower charging time, but it also seemed to charged my phone more slowly than the other wireless charger that I own. The wireless charging coil that you need to line up with your device is located under the Qi logo on this unit. I don’t know if the coil is smaller than in other charging pads, or what the difference is, but I seemed to have trouble getting the coil lined up properly with the back of my phone. This may have contributed to the slower charging times. Usually I was able to get a full charge over night, but one night my phone only charged 3% on a 7-hour charge. This is obviously not normal. I don’t know if this was due to a smaller than normal charging coil in the CE700, or simply my inability to line up the charging coils properly. Either way, I don’t have this issue with my other wireless charging pad. I also could not get the ADATA CE700 to charge if I left my case on my Nexus 4. It’s a bit of a hassle to have to take the case off my phone every night in order to charge it. This is also not an issue I have had with the other wireless chargers I’ve used.
The CE700 does have some nice features, like Over-Heat and Over-Voltage Protection, which may save your device if the heat or voltage get too high while it’s charging. The CE700 also has a Power Saving Mode that puts the unit into a low-power state when it’s not in use.
The Elite CE700 is a well built, feature packed wireless charger. The brushed aluminum on the back of the stand adds a touch of quality that is lacking in other wireless chargers I’ve tried. I did have some issues with getting the charging point lined up properly but your mileage may vary. The Elite CE700 Wireless Charging Stand is only $39.99 on Amazon, so the price is right. Give it a look.