TYLT is a company that’s been producing quality mobile accessories for quite some time now and for us Android users, perhaps their most compelling products are their range of Qi wireless chargers. With Qi charging now on a good selection of high-end Android smartphones (and many other easily converted to support it) it’s no surprise that the demand for somewhat better-looking chargers is here. TYLT has been one of the firms to deliver just that; good-looking Qi chargers that are convenient, reliable and built to a high standard. Now, they’re back with perhaps their most appealing wireless charger, the VU Solo. A simple, rubberized little black square, the VU Solo doesn’t look all that exciting, but it’s how you use it that’s important.
Much like other TYLT products, the VU Solo is available in a number of different colors, with black being prominent in the yellow, blue, red or gray color options. TYLT sent me the red and black version to review and I’m a big fan of the minimal, yet appealing design here. There are two pads on the bottom of the device to make sure it never moves and it’s really not that large, which helps to make this perfect night-stand material. The rubberized ‘landing pad’ as I’ve dubbed it is easy to use, and with my Nexus 5 I had no issues aligning it. I could charge it portrait, landscape, at an angle or whatever. As long as it was centered on the pad, it charged.
As for tech specs, the VU Solo isn’t the fastest charger at just 1A, but then again no wireless charger is going to take you from zero to hero quickly. It’s by no means slow however, and you’ll always wake up with a fall charge. I keep mentioning that this would be great for charging overnight, and that’s really where I see the Vu Solo being the most useful. Having something on your nightstand that you can just drop your device on and be assured it’s charging is great. It’s also a whole lot neater than one more cable lying around. There’s even a nifty little alignment tool on the cable, but I didn’t really find much need for it, but it’s nice to see. For $40, this isn’t the cheapest of accessories, but it’s certainly well built and I’m sure that the convenience and fit and finish will bring something extra to your nightstand or desk at the office.
Sadly, there’s no wall adaptor in the box with the Solo, but that’s not a problem as you can just plug the provided cable into the wall wart that came with your phone with no worry. Overall, I’m fairly impressed with the VU Solo, it doesn’t try to hard and it’ll blend in nicely on your desk or night stand quite nicely. For convenience and ease of use, this is great and it’s a classy way to take advantage of Qi charging including in your phone. If the VU Solo looks like a good idea but your device doesn’t support Qi charging, then the VU Mate converter might help you out. You can take a closer look at the VU Solo below and purchase it directly from TYLT themselves or from Amazon, as usual. The TYLT VU Solo will be available before the end of the year for $39.99.
