Dan Pražák Almost a year and a half has passed since Apple promised a new case for wireless charging of AirPods. This happened at the September conference, where, among other things, the company showed the world the AirPower wireless charger for the first time. Unfortunately, none of the products have started to be sold to date, even though they were originally supposed to hit the shelves of retailers by the end of last year at the latest. In the meantime, many accessory manufacturers have managed to offer their own alternatives, thanks to which wireless charging can be added to the current generation of AirPods relatively cheaply. We also ordered one such cover for the editorial office, so let's talk about whether its purchase is worth it or not.
There are a number of cases on the market that will add wireless charging to the current AirPods box. The most famous is probably the adapter Hyper Juice, which, however, ranks among the more expensive pieces. We decided to try a cheaper alternative from the company Baseus, whose products are also offered by several Czech sellers. We ordered the case from AliExpress converted for 138 CZK (price after using the coupon, the standard price is 272 CZK after conversion) and we had it at home in less than three weeks.
Baseus offers a relatively simple silicone sleeve, which not only enriches the case for AirPods with wireless charging, but also protects it fairly reliably in the event of a fall. Due to the material used, the sleeve is literally a magnet for dust and various impurities, which is one of the two disadvantages. The second lies in the style in which the part protecting the top hinged lid is processed, where the sleeve tends to slip due to an imperfect hinge and also prevents the case from fully opening.
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Charging
In other aspects, however, there is nothing to complain about the packaging. You just need to place the AirPods case in the sleeve, connect the Lightning connector, which ensures the supply of energy from the coil for wireless charging, and you're done. Charging the case through the wireless charger has always worked for us. There is even no need to disconnect and reconnect the Lightning connector once in a while, as is the case with some non-original cables. During a month of intensive use, the case charged wirelessly under all circumstances and without the slightest problem.
The speed of wireless charging is almost comparable to when using a classic Lightning cable. The wireless variant is a bit slower at first - the case charges wirelessly to 81% in an hour, while the cable charges to 90% - in the end, i.e. when the case is fully charged, the resulting time differs by only less than 20 minutes. We have listed the complete results of the wireless charging speed measurement below.
Wireless charging speed (AirPods fully charged, case at 5%):
- after 0,5 hours to 61%
- after 1 hours to 81%
- after 1,5 hours to 98%
- after 1,75 hours to 100%
Finally
A lot of music for a little money. Even so, the cover from Baseus could be briefly summarized. The sleeve has a few disadvantages, but the main functionality is completely problem-free. With alternatives, you may not encounter a sliding upper part, but on the other hand, you will pay extra, often several hundred crowns.
Can I ask for a discount coupon on Ali? Thank you very much