Under a thousand: Wireless charging made super convenient
Ambrane PowerPod seems pretty much your standard "phone stand wireless charger." It is an inclined stand on which you can rest your phone and also keep using it while it charges.
It has been around for a while, but wireless charging remains a bit of an iffy proposition. While the number of devices supporting wireless charging has gone up, the process of doing so gets a little troublesome. You need a wireless charging pad, which often costs much more than a conventional wired charger, and often have to compromise on charging speed if on a tight budget. That’s not all. Some charging pads require you to lay your device flat on them, which makes using them while charging a bit of a challenge as the slightest movement can disconnect them. Then there are those that are designed like phone stands but can only be used while charging in portrait mode as the charging area is bang in the centre and cannot be reached when the phone is kept in landscape mode, which is best for watching a match or most video content.
The Ambrane PowerPod manages to address a number of these issues. And at Rs 999 too (which is why it is in this column).
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Ambrane Powerpod can charge any device with Qi wireless charging support (Express Photo)
Looks like a phone stand
In appearance, the Ambrane PowerPod seems pretty much your standard “phone stand wireless charger.” It is an inclined stand on which you can rest your phone and also keep using it while it charges. You can simply use it to prop up your phone too, as it provides a very good viewing angle. It has a ‘chin’ in front to support the base of the phone and a USB Type-C port on the back to connect to the power outlet (there is a cable in the box, but no charger). It is made of plastic and lightweight, and almost seems a little fragile but has handled our charging tasks for more than a week with ease and no wear or tear at all.
What makes the PowerPod different from other wireless chargers out there is the fact that it not only has a very respectable wireless charging speed of 15W, but also comes with two charging areas or pads. No, it does not make it charge faster as from what we could find out, both pads do not work together. What it does is allow you to charge your device in portrait as well as landscape mode. This is because of the positioning of the two charging areas – one is closer to the base and the other is nearer to the top of the stand.
It can also fast charge Powerpod (Express Photo)
Performs outstandingly, although not quite a speed demon
The result is one of the most convenient wireless charging solutions we have seen. We could prop the phone up in portrait mode for routine viewing tasks and even video calls, and simply place it in landscape mode when we wanted to watch a film or a match. The charger comes with support for Qi-enabled smartphones and also specifically mentions support for the iPhone, Pixel, Galaxy and OnePlus devices. We used the charger with an iPhone 15, a Pixel 8 and the Nothing Phone (2) and it charged them reasonably well. What’s more, the location of the lower charging area means that you can even charge your TWS off it – it charged our AirPods Pro and Nothing Ears (2) without any trouble. Rather impressively, neither the devices nor the charger itself got too warm in the charging process (which can often happen). A small blue light comes on at the base of the charger to indicate that the device placed in it is charging – it is handy, although it can be a bit difficult to spot.
It is not all roses, though. The Ambrane PowerPod only charges Qi-supported devices at its full 15W capacity. So if you have an iPhone, be ready for much slower charging speeds – it will get charged only at 7.5W. The Pixel 8 fared much better although we were told it would get charged at 12W. We also wished that it offered us more viewing angles, could be folded to carry (it is slightly awkward-shaped to carry in its current form and had some sort of magnetic attachment to devices. Finally, the build could have been a little more premium – it seems a little fragile at times – and the accompanying cable could have been longer (fortunately, any Type-C cable will work just as well).
It has two wireless charging coils (Express Photo)
Terrific value for money for those who like to work on phones while they charge
Still, all said and done, the Ambrane PowerPod is a great wireless charging solution for those who want a charger that can also double up effectively as a stand and handles charging equally efficiently whether you place your device in landscape or portrait orientation (and are not hankering for super fast wireless charging speeds). You can keep your device on charge while easily handling a video call or watching Ted Lasso or a cricket match, which is quite amazingly handy at just Rs 999. The ability to charge TWS is a welcome bonus. It is one of the best charging options for those wanting a stand-like wireless phone charger, that charges at a decent speed.
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