Normally, we wouldn’t write a review on a wireless charger, but this one from OnePlus is different. And it deserves a review. Especially since many OnePlus 8 Pro buyers are likely to pick this one up. So, here it goes.
30W wireless charging is definitely game-changing
Let’s start off with the obvious, the charging speeds.
As mentioned, the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger is able to charge wirelessly at the same speed that the OnePlus 8 Pro is able to charge wired. Which is 30W. Wired, that is pretty impressive, now that it’s wireless, that is insane.
Now we’ve seen fast wireless charging before. From Apple, Samsung and Google. But they haven’t been this fast. Coming in at a max of 12W (on the newest Samsung phones). Some Chinese companies – Xiaomi and Huawei namely – have dabbled in fast wireless charging. Giving us 30W wireless charging, so this isn’t exactly brand new. But is the first time that we’re seeing it in a mainstream smartphone.
At 30W, you can put your phone on the wireless charger, and literally see the percentage increase every couple of minutes. That’s pretty crazy, and not something you’re used to with wireless charging. It’s great for topping up your OnePlus 8 Pro, when you need a bit more juice.
There’s a fan inside
Obviously, one of the issues when you’re doing wireless charging at this speed, is the heat. And OnePlus actually has a good way to take care of that. With an old-fashioned fan inside the charger. Which is why the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger is a bit thicker than most other wireless chargers.
The fan isn’t very loud, but you can hear it. Now luckily, OnePlus does have an option in the settings of the 8 Pro, that will make the fan quieter. It’s called Bedtime Mode, and it’s found in the battery settings of the phone. Basically, you can set a schedule – say 11PM to 7AM – where you in bed. And the charger will charge slower, with the fan being quieter. So that it doesn’t wake you up.
This is good for those that are using the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger next to their bed.
But this fan keeps both the charger and the phone cool. And it’s pretty impressive how cool it stays. Considering the fact that phones charging at 10W usually get much hotter. And this is three times that speed, and it stays super cool.
One of the better designed wireless chargers
The design of the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger has admittedly grown on me. When I first took this wireless charger out of the box from OnePlus to start the review, I thought that it was pretty cheap feeling. Because it was made of plastic.
Now, being plastic makes sense, since it’s better for wireless charging than metal, etc. But it’s not the soft-touch plastic that Anker uses on its chargers. So it threw me off for a minute.
But after using it for a few days, I really liked how well this was designed. It’s not a convertible charger, so the stand portion melts into the base of the charger. And just looks really nice. Though, if OnePlus made one that was black, that would look really great, but this isn’t too bad.
However, one of the issues that I did have with the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger was the charging cable. It has a short (probably 3.3-foot long) cable that is not detachable. And the power brick is also very large. Making it tough for those that do cable management at their desk, to have this charger on their desk. For me, the brick wasn’t a big deal, but the short cable was. It meant that I could not put it on my bedside table, since it’s too far from the outlet for the charger to work.
I do understand why OnePlus made the cable and brick non-detachable though. With a wireless charger doing these kind of speeds, you need to make sure that it is using the correct cable and charger. And instead of relying on its customers to use the correct one, all the time. OnePlus decided to force them to use the correct one, every single time.
That saves OnePlus the headache of wireless chargers not working properly, or perhaps something worse. But next time, OnePlus, please make the cable longer. Six feet would be perfect!
Should I buy the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger?
Probably not.
I was pretty vocal when OnePlus announced wireless charging and the wireless charger stand before the devices were announced. In how these would only really work for its own smartphones. That’s because of how OnePlus re-engineered wireless charging to work on its smartphone. Which meant that this charger was only going to do 30W on the OnePlus 8 Pro. Making it a very limited product – for now.
And it also meant that users couldn’t grab an Anker wireless charger and get 30W speeds on the OnePlus 8 Pro. Sure, it can charge other phones, but it’s going to be much slower, capping out at 10W. And after you’ve used 30W, going back to 10W is pretty tough. I did change my tune while working on this review of the OnePlus wireless charger, but not enough to recommend that everyone buy it.
Now at this price of $69.95, the OnePlus Warp Charge 30 Wireless Charger is a very tough buy. It works with just one phone right now – it’s likely that future OnePlus phones will get Warp Charge 30 Wireless though. And you can get a wireless charger for less than half the price of this one.
Unless you absolutely have to have that 30W wireless charging on your new OnePlus 8 Pro, it’s probably better to pass on this one.