Tesla today launched a new battery-powered Qi-based wireless charger that's designed for iPhones and Android devices that support wireless charging. Priced at $65, the Tesla Wireless Charger features a 6,000mAh battery so it can be used for charging while on the go. According to Tesla, it's been constructed using the "same design language" used in Tesla energy products like Powerwall, featuring a sleek black or white enclosure. In addition to wireless charging, the Tesla Wireless Charger includes a built-in USB-C cable for charging USB-C Android devices. For non-USB-C devices, there's a USB-A port that can be used for faster wired charging. A built-in USB-A cable is used to charge the Wireless Charger from any USB-A port. According to Tesla, the wireless charging is limited to 5W, which is slower than the faster 7.5W charging that is available on the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus. Other 5W chargers can be purchased on Amazon for as little as $10, which means Tesla is charging quite a premium for the Tesla branding and design of this accessory. The Tesla Wireless Charger can be purchased from the Tesla website for $65. Update: It appears Tesla may have removed the Wireless Charger from its website as the store links to the device no longer work nor does a search on the site bring it up.<doc-sep>Last month, the automaker launched the ‘Tesla Wireless Charger’, which surprisingly is a product not for your Tesla vehicle, but for your smartphone. The new product sold out in minutes, but Tesla is now bringing it back, adding ‘Phone’ to the name, and reducing the price. As we previously reported, Tesla has been launching more ‘lifestyle products’ not directly related to its cars but still inspired by some of its products. For example, the automaker has also previously launched batteries for phones using “the same cell found in many of the batteries of Tesla vehicles.” As for the ‘Tesla Wireless Phone Charger’, it’s a Qi-certified wireless charger with “the same design language” used in Tesla energy products, like the Powerwall. Tesla describes the product on its website: “Wirelessly charge your phone anywhere with the Tesla Wireless Phone Charger. Simply set your Qi-enabled phone on the inductive charging pad and let your phone charge up without any cables. Housed in a sleek, high-gloss case, the Tesla Wireless Charger embodies the same design language used across Tesla Energy products in a pocket-sized package. In addition to wireless charging, the Tesla Wireless Phone Charger also doubles as a standard wired powerbank using the USB-A output port and either your own USB cable or the integrated USB-C cable which fits flush around the outside edge of the charger for easy storage.” Here are a few images of the Tesla Wireless Charger: When launching last month, the device sold out in minutes at $65. Tesla has been contacting buyers and telling them that they are now planning to produce a much larger batch, which will reduce the price to $49. Those who already purchased the device will be reimbursed the difference. While the price decrease is welcomed, it looks like the ‘Tesla’ brand is still coming with a very high premium. For example, the highest rated wireless charger on Amazon is only $40 and it comes with much more battery capacity. You can even get one with twice the capacity as the Tesla Wireless Phone Charger for $30. For wireless chargers without battery packs, you can get one for less than $20 and there’s one built to fit in the Tesla Model S and Model X center console. Here are the specs and features of the Tesla Wireless Charger Charge Wirelessly: Set your Qi enabled phone on the wireless base. Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to activate wireless charging Set your Qi enabled phone on the wireless base. Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to activate wireless charging Charge On the Go: Plug your phone into the integrated USB-C cable. For non USB-C ports, use the USB-A port to plug in any USB-A charging cable Plug your phone into the integrated USB-C cable. For non USB-C ports, use the USB-A port to plug in any USB-A charging cable Charge the Internal Battery: Use the built in USB-A cable to charge your Wireless Charger from any USB port. Use the built in USB-A cable to charge your Wireless Charger from any USB port. 21 hours additional talk time 18 hours additional surfing Battery capacity: Lithium-ion polymer 6000mAh Watt hours: 22.2Wh Input charging: 5V/2A Removable USB cable (USB-C to USB-A) and 1 USB-A Port Output charging: -Wireless charging: 5W -Wired charging: 5V/1.5A FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.<doc-sep>2 of 5 Courant puts a high fashion spin on wireless charging: The leather-covered Catch:3 features a Qi-certified charger on the left-hand side (compatible with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X as well as Samsung's Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, S9, S9 Plus, and Note 8), and a tray on the right-hand side for keys or other accessories. Consider this a charger you'll actually like seeing on your bedside table or desk. The recent release is currently available for pre-order and is scheduled to ship mid-October.<doc-sep>With a full year since its last mention onstage at Apple’s last hardware event, Apple’s AirPower wireless charger mat is still missing. At the company’s iPhone event this morning in Cupertino, there was little mention of the wireless charging tech present in the new iPhones, but more surprisingly there was not a single word said about the company’s AirPower wireless charging mat that it teased last year as coming in “early” 2018. Apple even had early AirPower mat samples in the hands-on area of the hardware event last year, but it seems delays have left the device out of this year’s show and pushed it further down the product roadmap. While Apple’s website did not show any details on the AirPower charger, there were details about a wireless charging case for the AirPods “coming in 2018” that is designed for the mat. What’s the problem and why the big delay here? Well, new charging tech is a major liability for any tech company, and Apple has been trying some ground-breaking things with the AirPower charger that definitely seems more complex than just sticking three Qi charger coils into a padded mat and calling it a day. First off, the big deal about AirPower is that it is an evolution of the Qi charger standard, (at least some of) the coils have to be smaller to work with the Apple Watch and new AirPods case and the pad also has to be capable of delivering a roughly full speed charge to the phone, something that is likely a major engineering stress test for thermals. What may have been the biggest challenge as a result is that Apple wants you to be able to charge three devices simultaneously without you having to worry about where they are on the pad. That means that unlike today’s Qi chargers, where you have to scoot your phone around to nudge into a position where it can charge, you truly should be able to just drop something on the pad and get to charging. Some of these issues were detailed in a report from Bloomberg earlier this summer. In past years, Apple had some issues with shipping both the AirPods and HomePod within the time horizon they had detailed earlier, but Apple gave an awful lot of details about this product in its tease last year and it’s peculiar that it didn’t even get an offhand mention at WWDC or today’s event. While one of Apple’s hardware devices shipping with a buggy version of iOS might lead to some late-night patches and customers unable to open an app, dealing with power management flaws is a liability cornucopia. If anything is seriously wrong or the wireless charging mat were to make a mistake detecting a device, the paired devices theoretically could catch fire. Given the challenges, it might make sense that Apple has been a little more careful with this one in the testing phase, but it’s also possible the issues haven’t been with design and are instead just with scaling manufacturing. We don’t really know because Apple has said squat; instead, they chose to announce the device last year, perhaps before they had an accurate scope of the issues left to tackle before shipping it.<doc-sep>
Tesla is launching a new product today: the ‘Tesla Wireless Charger’. Surprisingly, the product is not for your Tesla vehicle, but for your smartphone. It’s the latest ‘lifestyle product’ launched by the automaker who has also previously launched batteries for phones using “the same cell found in many of the batteries of Tesla vehicles.” Now they are launching a $65 Qi-certified wireless charger with “the same design language” used in Tesla energy products, like Powerwall, on their shop website: “The Tesla Wireless Charger is a 6000mAh (22.2Wh) battery-powered inductive charging pad that features the same design language used in our energy products, like Powerwall. In addition to wirelessly charging your device, you can also power up your phone with the integrated USB-C cable. For non USB-C devices, use the USB-A port to plug in any USB-A charging cable. The built-in USB-A cable can be used to charge your Wireless Charger from any USB port.’ Here are a few images of the Tesla Wireless Charger: Here are the specs and features of the Tesla Wireless Charger Charge Wirelessly: Set your Qi enabled phone on the wireless base. Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to activate wireless charging Set your Qi enabled phone on the wireless base. Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to activate wireless charging Charge On the Go: Plug your phone into the integrated USB-C cable. For non USB-C ports, use the USB-A port to plug in any USB-A charging cable Plug your phone into the integrated USB-C cable. For non USB-C ports, use the USB-A port to plug in any USB-A charging cable Charge the Internal Battery: Use the built in USB-A cable to charge your Wireless Charger from any USB port. Use the built in USB-A cable to charge your Wireless Charger from any USB port. 21 hours additional talk time 18 hours additional surfing Battery capacity: Lithium-ion polymer 6000mAh Watt hours: 22.2Wh Input charging: 5V/2A Removable USB cable (USB-C to USB-A) and 1 USB-A Port Output charging: -Wireless charging: 5W -Wired charging: 5V/1.5A It looks like the ‘Tesla’ brand is coming with a very high premium. For example, the highest rated wireless charger on Amazon is only $40 and it comes with much more battery capacity. For wireless chargers without battery packs, you can get one for less than $20 and there’s one built to fit in the Tesla Model S and Model X center console. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: