Qi2 is nice, but this genius trick makes it cooler by adding fans to the chargers

Here at Android Authority, we’ve been chomping at the bits, waiting for Qi2 to come to our Android phones. Faster wireless charging and magnets (or not, as it turns out that companies can implement Qi2 without them) would be cool to have in everyday life, but I don’t know if I’d ever rely on just wireless charging all the time. It’s just slower and inefficient, and it generates a decent amount of heat, which causes most phones to throttle the power they draw from wireless pads to avoid going up in flames.

The solution is, though, absurdly simple, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen it before already. Fans — and built-in cooling systems. That’s it. You don’t need more. Just dissipate some of the heat in the opposite direction of the phone, and your wireless charger should, on paper, remain cool and efficient enough that phones keep drawing power at a good rate from it, thus charging faster.

And that’s what these two chargers from ESR that I spotted at IFA 2024 do. They come with “2nd-gen CryoBoost,” which is marketing speak for an open duct system that contains a fan for active cooling and heat dissipation. ESR claims that this new airflow design helps it “maintain peak charging speeds” and “fully charge an iPhone 15 Pro Max in just two hours — at least 30 minutes faster than competing Qi2 chargers.” I couldn’t test that claim on the show floor, obviously, but the idea is interesting and backed up by the science of heat and power.

The fan itself is quite silent. I had the chance to see these chargers twice in action, and not once did I hear the repetitive buzz of a fan. Supposedly, their noise level remains below a whisper at 5 ft, so they should be Ok to use in the car or at a desk without annoying you. I wouldn’t put one in the bedroom unless you can get used to an extra bit of white noise while sleeping.

There are two different Qi2 chargers with the cooling system. The first is a car charger that comes in three colors: dark grey, lighter grey, and a cool transparent white.

The second is a 3-in-1 desk charger that comes in black or transparent white. It has a 15W Qi2 tilted stand, a horizontal 5W wireless charging pad on the bottom for your earbuds (this one without CryoBoost), and an Apple Watch charger on the back.

But — and here’s the awesome part — the Apple Watch module is removable and only plugs in via a 5W USB-C port. So, technically speaking, you could get a third-party USB-C mini charger for your other smartwatch and plug it in instead. I’ve seen these mini chargers all over Amazon for Fitbits, Pixel Watches, Galaxy Watches, and many smartwatches; they usually cost less than $10. So that’s what I plan on doing: get the ESR 3-in-1 charger, get a Pixel Watch 2 mini USB-C charger, and use this unit as a 3-in-1 for my Pixel or Galaxy phone (with a MagSafe-compatible case), Nothing ear, and Pixel Watch.

I know this port is only capable of 5W charging, but I’m also curious if I can just plug a regular USB-C cable there and charge a not-so-demanding device like my Kindle Paperwhite, for example. It should be feasible.

I don’t know the exact pricing of these ESR chargers, but they should be coming to Amazon soon. I’ll keep an eye on them and snag one when they do.