Avido’s new WiBa Wireless and Stackable Power Depository financial institution and Charging Pad combines wireless charging with a wireless power bank, assuasive for a completely wire-free iPhone charging feel both at dwelling house and on the become.
The WiBa kit comes with three pieces: a wireless charging pad, a 5,000 mAh bombardment pack, and a cablevision plus power adapter to power the wireless charging portion of the device. The battery pack is designed to accuse on the charging pad with the iPhone able to charge on acme of the battery pack, then y’all can charge both the iPhone and the battery pack all at once.
Made from a white plastic with a soft rubber blanket, the WiBa wireless charging pad is nigh the size of the iPhone Ten when it comes to length and width, just it’s much thicker.
The accompanying power bank is crafted from the aforementioned fabric and is the same size and length equally the wireless charging pad. The ability bank is even thicker than the pad, which means information technology’due south several times thicker than an iPhone X. Theoretically, yous could pocket the power bank just like an iPhone X, only given its thickness, I’m non certain that you’d want to.
The power bank fits better in a bag or a haversack, but it’s however going to take upwards more room than competing power banks that take the same bombardment capacity, which is one of the negatives to this accompaniment.
Considering information technology’due south the same size as the iPhone X, the wireless charging pad besides has a somewhat bigger footprint than nearly upright wireless chargers, so it’s going to accept up more than infinite on a desk than some charging options. Compared to round flat chargers, though, the rectangular shape of the WiBa takes upwardly less overall desk real manor.
At the bottom of the wireless charging pad, at that place’southward a magnetic attachment surface area where the power bank fits so that information technology tin charge wirelessly. The magnet is overnice considering the ability depository financial institution ever slips right into the correct identify when it needs to be charged with the charging pad, so I never had to fuss with it to find the platonic charging alignment.
There’s besides a magnet in the power bank, which works with a split up magnet attachment that’s available for the iPhone to continue it in place while wirelessly charging. My test unit of measurement did not come with this accessory so I wasn’t able to endeavour information technology, but for those who don’t mind a magnet stuck on the iPhone with adhesive, information technology should brand wireless charging via the ability bank more convenient.
Sans magnet, it’southward not really convenient to charge an iPhone with the wireless power banking concern unless it’s set on a flat surface considering the power depository financial institution has no manner to attach to the iPhone.
On the wireless charging pad, in that location’s a unmarried USB-C port to connect information technology to the included ability adapter, while the ability bank features both a USB-C port and a USB-A port. The USB-C port can be used to charge the power banking company more quickly if y’all don’t desire to apply the wireless charging pad, while the USB-A port can exist used to charge devices that don’t support wireless charging.
Both the power depository financial institution and the charging pad characteristic an Avido logo front and heart, which I wasn’t a fan of. The ability bank has four white LEDs on i side that let you lot know the charge and a bright green LED on the other side when it’s turned on. Both the green LED and the white LEDs come on when the side button is pressed and charging is activated, and the dark-green LED in particular is distracting. It does, nevertheless, plough off after a few minutes.
While the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X support 7.5W wireless charging, the WiBa is express to 5W charging speeds, which is another downside to the product. It does accuse at 10W for Android devices, but Avido told me it was capped at 5W for “safety precautions.”
Avido besides pointed out that there’southward often not a huge difference between 5W and 7.5W charging, which is not untrue. I’ve tested a lot of wireless charging options both at 5W and at 7.5W. In the best of weather, you lot tin can eke out about x to 12 percent more than charge over the course of an hour with a 7.5W charger, but the difference can be lower based on temperature and other factors.
I however generally find it worthwhile to choose 7.5W over 5W when possible, so it is disappointing not to see 7.5W support in the WiBa, especially at a $100 toll point.
In multiple tests in Airplane manner and starting at a 1 percent charge, the WiBa wireless charging pad and the ability banking concern charged my telephone to 28 to 34 pct over the course of an hour, which is what I’d await to see from a 5W charger. 28 to 34 per centum is less than the charge you tin can expect to see from a wired ability bank in an hour’southward time, so this isn’t the nearly efficient on-the-go charging method.
The WiBa boasts a 5,000mAh battery that offers just about enough juice to charge an iPhone 10 from a dead battery to total in one case over. In 2 of my tests, the WiBa power banking company charged my iPhone 10 to 85 percent before dying (again in Airplane mode) but in 4 other tests, it charged information technology up to 100 percent with about v percent of an additional charge left over.
Information technology’s safe to say that for the iPhone X, and the iPhone 8 Plus, which has a similar capacity battery, y’all tin can count on one additional total charge from the fully charged WiBa power bank. Yous might become 1 and a one-half to two full charges for the iPhone eight, which has a smaller battery.
As with the 5W charging limitation, I found the 5,000mAh chapters of the WiBa power depository financial institution to be disappointing given the size of the accessory and its cost.
Lesser Line
The WiBa charger is a nice idea, and I tin’t argue that it’southward non convenient, but it doesn’t feel like it’s offer enough utility for the high cost tag.
This is essentially a 5W wireless charger paired with a 5,000mAh battery pack. Yous tin buy a 5,000mAh power bank on Amazon for about $10 to $fifteen, and a wireless charger costs right effectually $15 to $20, for a total of $25 to $35.
That means Avido is charging quite a premium for the sake of convenience. Certain, you don’t need to plug in the power banking concern while it charges or the iPhone while information technology charges from the power bank, but what’s that shortcut worth?
I personally would opt for a standalone 7.5W wireless charger and wired power bank over this particular solution, but people who are looking for a grab and go no-hassle solution where the extra bombardment is simple to charge may prefer the WiBa setup.
I really would have liked to run into a college chapters battery with the WiBa, because a single actress charge for $100 doesn’t feel worthwhile. Power banks that offer 3 times more than chapters don’t fifty-fifty cost $100.
It’s also worth noting that wireless charging may not exist the all-time power bank solution. Virtually people likely reach for a power bank when an iPhone’s battery is critically depression, and faster charging speeds are preferred in these situations. As a reminder, an hour of charging with the WiBa got my iPhone Ten to almost 28 to 34% across multiple tests.
How to Buy
The WiBa Wireless and Stackable Ability Bank and Charging Pad can exist purchased from the Avido website for $99. An extra charging pad can be added for a full of $139.
Notation: Avido provided MacRumors with a WiBa wireless charger and power banking company for the purpose of this review, which was returned to Avido at the decision of the review. No other bounty was received.