An Efficient Car Charger for iPhones

Every time I drive, I mount my phone to use its GPS. Yet even on pretty tame turns, the phone mount always flops everywhere. Now that I’ve tried the magnetic Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger, I can confidently say I’ve been suffering needlessly this whole time.

Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger

The Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger is a robust phone mount and charger that uses MagSafe technology to magnetically hold iPhone devices in a steady position while you drive.

Pros

• Extremely sturdy arm keeps phone in one position while driving
• Powerful magnetic grip stops phone from shifting even on bumpy rides
• Rapid charging capability powers your phone quickly

Cons

• Magnetic grip only compatible with MagSafe-capable iPhones
• Wireless charging only works with Qi-enabled devices

Price and Availability

The Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger costs $60 on Amazon and Satechi’s website. It only comes in one color, and there are no customizable options. However, it does come with a 25W car charging adapter and a USB-C to USB-C charging cable.

Excellent Grip and Stability, But Only for Newer iPhones

This product is listed as a car charger, which kind of undersells the fact that it’s also a phone mount. Like many other phone mounts, you attach this one to your air conditioner vent so it can be held in front of your face hands-free. Many such devices use physical clamps to do this, but this Satechi car charger is magnetic, providing consistent stability and powerful grip strength, provided your phone is MagSafe-compatible.

If you don’t know, MagSafe is an Apple technology that uses magnets to align your phone with other accessories, like phone cases and this Satechi car charger. Unfortunately, this means that this car charger does not work very well with Android devices. Technically, any Android phone that is Qi2 certified would work perfectly with this charger, but unfortunately, companies haven’t added the spec to almost any phones (as of this writing).

I tried to use a Galaxy S24 with it, and while it charged while I held up the phone, it didn’t stick in place as there was no magnetic connection. That said, there are MagSafe stickers you could slap onto your Android phone, making it compatible with these types of car chargers, but you’d have to buy that separately.

Out of the box, with no modifications to your phone, the Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger is only compatible with iPhone 12 and up. With such a phone, the magnetic grip strength is incredible: even when I hit a giant pothole on the road, nearly throwing my head into the roof of the car, my phone stayed attached to the mount and barely shifted position at all.

The magnetized grip played a big part in that, but even more important is the robustness of the actual mounting system. This thing has a very sturdy arm and clamp, as well as a little stand to rest against your dashboard for extra support. I was genuinely (and pleasantly) surprised at the relatively high effort I had to put into changing the angle of the charger.

The firmness of the arm can be adjusted as well. A twisting knob on the back can be used to tighten or loosen the articulation point, so you can have your phone be a little harder or easier to move around based on your preference. Undoubtedly, this very robust system makes this product stand out: it barely ever needs to be adjusted mid-drive because it holds your phone exactly where you want it without fail.

Ready to Charge Quickly in any Vehicle

Now, this charger is peddled as “wireless,” but that’s just referring to the phone charging itself. Your phone will charge when it’s magnetically attached to the car charger, but the car charger still has to be plugged into your car via an included one-meter-long USB-C to USB-C cable. This makes it easy to set up in almost any car since the product also comes with an adapter.

As for the charging itself, it’s quite rapid thanks to the 15W of power. During my testing, I had my phone start out at 50% charge before plugging everything in and settling in for the drive. Within thirty minutes, I was already pushing 90% charge, and that was while my phone was using GPS, Bluetooth for my music, and taking a call or two.

Needless to say, your phone will end up with significantly more charge than you started with at the beginning of your drive, even if it’s a short jaunt of just fifteen minutes or so.

Should You Buy the Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger?

I won’t lie, I initially thought that $60 was a bit pricey for a phone mount and charger combo. But if you’re tired of phone mounts that don’t have the strength to hold up the increasingly large phones of today, the Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger is a great investment. It works best with iPhones, but if you’re willing to buy a MagSafe sticker for your Android device, it’ll also work pretty well with them.

Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger

The Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger is a robust phone mount and charger that uses MagSafe technology to magnetically hold iPhone devices in a steady position while you drive.