Magnetic phone chargers

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

I had come across the magnetic chargers where you simply put a suitable phone on a charging surface, but I have just noticed there is another type, which is a wired type. You fit a tiny adaptor in the phone socket and either the adaptor or the new plug is magnetic and pull themselves together to make electrical contact. Avoiding wear and tear plus damage to the phone socket.

Anyone tried one, are they any good. It seems they rely heavily on the magnetism being strong enough to pull the contacts together and both being clean.

[Jethro_uk]

I've had a few fitted for 3 years now and am very happy.

My only grumble (and it may be lack of research on my part) is the fact that the connectors appear to be rather proprietary, so getting a single cable that will charge an Android and iPhone isn't possible.

I have 2 cables. One in the house and one in the car. It makes fitting the phone in the car a doddle.

Obviously the lack of wear on the charging port can't be a bad thing either.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

on 04/06/2020, Jethro_uk supposed :

SWMBO had one delivered yesterday, which came with three adaptors and a I thought a neat idea if it works - I'm hoping the one I just ordered for my Iphone, the cable will work with both. The cable part that is. I'll see, when it turns up.

[Jethro_uk]

Just remembered that some cables merely charge, but you can get some which are full on charge and data cables.

I'd much rather manufacturers worked on such tiny features that are so useful than any number of "notch" type fripperies.

[Clive Arthur]

<snipped>

People who make USB cables which only charge deserve a special place in hell.

[Jethro_uk]

Not necessarily ... I'm sure there are cases where somebody might want to charge but be completely safe from any underhand sneakiness down the data cable.

Now a *standard* (red=charge only, black=full fat, or something similar) might have been an idea. But with the Middle Kingdom doing what it damn well likes, standards are a little bit last century.

[DJC]

I have several. magnets are strong. Only problem was after the a phone with adaptor had gone through washing machine[*] the corrosion on the adaptor did cause it to fail.

They work either way round for charging but only if the right way up for data.

[*] three phones in 18 months so far.

[Roland Perry]

In message <rbaknl$fds$ [e-mail], at 12:08:36 on Thu, 4 Jun 2020, Harry Bloomfield <?.?@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk.invalid> remarked:

I've had two MS Surface tablets, and they have a magnetic charging connector, which I can't fault at all (although it's a shame it's completely proprietary).

It also means that if you have the tablet charging on a coffee table, and someone trips over the lead, it doesn't yank the tablet onto the floor and/or fatally damage the socket.

ps Meanwhile, the Surface's non-replaceable battery is a disgrace, and has led to me only being able to use the tablet while plugged into the charger. [The replaceable batteries available online are for the Surface 1, the Surface 2 and all subsequent models have non- replaceable ones]