Wireless charging pucks make hot phones even hotter. Sure, it allows you access to phones’ only USB-C port while charging, but the process of electromagnetic induction is still less efficient than a direct connection through a power cable. That leads to excess heat. If you’ve ever picked up a phone on the charge and immediately dropped it like you’ve touched a hot iron, then you already know that particular pain point. Which is why I’m surprised there aren’t more devices like the $60 Torras PowerCircle Qi2 charger. It’s essentially a combination wireless charger and fan cooler. Yes, it may make your phone look like its trying out its jet engine cosplay, but its the kind of device whose function vastly outweighs its form.
The Torras PowerCircle slaps onto the back of any supporting phone for 15W wireless charging and can prop up the device with the rotating stand-up ring. However, with the fan whirring away, Torras claims the device will stay at an even 55 degrees Fahrenheit or lower throughout over 100 minutes of charging time. The company also claims you can go from zero to 80% in just under an hour, which seems about right for 15W wireless charging. And to account for the fan, it’s also far thicker than your traditional charging puck. Heck its even thicker than other pucks with fans built in, like the $45 MagFusion GameFrost Qi2 15w charger from Aukey.
Phones that grow hot lose out in both performance and charging efficiency, which is not a big deal if all you’re doing is sticking your phone on a pad to charge while you sleep. It’s when you actually want to use your device while charging that you may see performance dip. Torras claims its burger slider-sized charging puck will maintain stable performance far better than a traditional Qi2 charger. You can also use the charger without the fan, but as AndroidCentral pointed out, that’s because you need to press a button on the charger then re-plug it in to get the fan working to begin with.
Phone fan coolers—including cheap ones made by companies like Trakxy or more-expensive varieties from Black Shark—are nothing new. Yet the PowerCircle is one of the few that focuses exclusively on fast charging heat. But spending $60 (though likely closer to $50 on sale) or even $40 on a wireless charger seems a little much when a 15W Qi-certified Anker puck will cost you less than $30. The fan-cooler devices have a niche use case, but I can imagine it could be extra practical for gaming on a phone. The PowerCircle might charge your phone while the phone’s USB port is occupied by a phone controller like a BackBone One or Razer Kishi and keep it cool for uninterrupted performance.
The fan on charger is really a “no, duh” now that we’re starting to see more of these on these devices on the market. According to the Wireless Power Consortium, Qi2 is supposed to achieve up to 95% power efficiency, far above the 75% of the older Qi standard. Even that 5% is enough to create a sauna on the back of your device. Anybody with experience in PC building already knows the benefit of simple fan cooling. Rather than sticking it near the air conditioner, a small dedicated fan just makes more sense. Now lets see how far we can take it.
