Samsung Wireless Charger Trio Jabs Limits Of Apple MagSafe And AirPower
Today Samsung released the Wireless Charger Trio, a charger that charges three devices at once. That's really the long and short of it, or it WOULD be, save the timing VS Apple's own brand new multi-device charger. It's not as if Apple revealed their MagSafe Duo charger on October 13, then Samsung created AND released their Wireless Charger Trio three days later – that'd be a bit too big a pill to swallow.
The Samsung Wireless Charger Trio was first introduced to the world in a formal manner on September 2, 2020. It was shown working with a pair of Samsung Buds, a Galaxy phone, and a Samsung watch, sitting perfectly in position for charging, in their own reserved spots – but don't let that fool you into thinking they need to sit in those spots ONLY.
Samsung's charger has six charging coils inside, a step up from Samsung's own Wireless Charger Duo. The Wireless Charger Duo required that you center your device on one of two clearly marked charging areas. The Trio contains 6 charging coils, thereby creating a charging space similar to what Apple originally intended to deliver with their ill-fated AirPower charging pad.*
When the Trio was originally announced, Samsung didn't make any major claims about the number of coils inside, nor the ability to charge off-center. Note, again, the 2nd image in this article, showing the device when it was first revealed to the public, with three perfectly-aligned devices. Below, you'll see the same charger as it's shown by Samsung today.
Now that the charger is available for sale, the Samsung Wireless Charger Trio suggests the following: "Six coils inside the Wireless Charger Trio makes it simple for you to put your device down and charge it up. No more messing with alignment — just set it on the pad to get a boost of power."
Samsung also suggests that charging two devices at the same time on the left pads (the non-watch area) "may affect charging speed." And on the right side, the spot for the Galaxy Watch, there's a magnet. Obviously the inclusion of the magnet mirrors the charging devices that've been in boxes with smartwatches of several sorts over the past several years – but the Samsung Wireless Charger Duo has no such magnet.
The Samsung Wireless Charging Duo was released with a price of approximately $120 USD when it was first revealed in August of 2018. Fast forward to now and you'll find the "Samsung Charger Duo Pad" in the Samsung store available for approximately $100 USD. The Wireless Charger Pad Trio will cost you around $90. The Duo works with 7.5W Fast Charge max on all compatible devices. The Trio works with 9W Fast Charge, and has a PD 25W Travel Adapter included in the box.
*Below you'll see the original reveal of the Apple AirPower Charger from all the way back in September of 2017. That charger was never released to the public, but was claimed to include the ability to place wireless power-compatible devices anywhere on the pad for charging (with no magnets involved).
On October 13, 2020, Apple revealed the rebirth of their MagSafe brand, previously reserved for magnetically-attached chargers working with MacBooks. This new Apple MagSafe system was introduced as a way to wirelessly charge the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, and will likely expand to other sorts of products in the future.
ABOVE: The Apple MagSafe Duo as revealed by Apple on October 13, 2020. BELOW: An exploded view of what the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are working with to enable MagSafe charging, alignment, and connectivity.
The Apple MagSafe Duo and the basic MagSafe Charger has the ability to charge at 15W, but ONLY when it connects to an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro (and future iPhone devices, we must assume). Apple's MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo will deliver max 7.5W charging to all other Qi-standard wireless charge devices. As such, we've got a real wireless charging pad war on our hands here, as if this is the last uncontested battleground left for smartphones and wearables.
Now, if only they'd make a charging pad that also automatically connected my phone to my car stereo (and disconnected my phone from my car stereo when it's removed from said pad) – that'd be really rad.