How to add wireless charging to the OnePlus 8
The OnePlus 8 is one of our favorite smartphones of 2020, but it lacks one key feature: wireless charging.
For more than a decade, wireless charging has been featured in high-end smartphones, allowing users to charge their device by simply placing it on a Qi-compatible wireless charging pad or stand. The convenience of wireless charging means you can charge your device without having to hassle with plugging it in every time, ensuring that your battery gets topped off every time you place it on your desk or anywhere else you might have a wireless charger in your home, your car or even your office.
Wireless charging technology is extremely cheap to add to smartphones, but manufacturers often use it only in their most expensive devices. The Oneplus 8 isn’t necessarily cheap, but OnePlus chose to omit wireless charging from the phone so that the OnePlus 8 Pro had an extra feature to help justify its more expensive price point. Even in 2021, it’s still hard to find wireless charging featured in smartphones selling for $700 or less.
The good news is that there’s an easy fix, allowing you to add wireless charging to the OnePlus 8 with a wireless charging adaptor. There are dozens of products available that allow you to add Qi wireless charging to nearly any smartphone, range in price from $8 to $20/ They all do the exact same thing plug into your smartphones charging port to transfer power from their Qi wireless charging coil to your phone. The only difference between the cheap $8 and more expensive $20 options is the wireless charging rate that they offer.
Does it work?
I’ve been personally using a wireless charging adaptor with my smartphones since 2014. At the time I was using an HTC phone that featured a metal body, making it impossible for HTC to add wireless charging to the phone. After a recommendation from a friend, I purchased one and found that it worked as advertised, allowing me to add wireless charging capabilities to my device.
Setting up the OnePlus 8 with a wireless charging adapter is simple:
- Remove the charging adapter from its packaging
- Plug the wireless charging adaptor into the Oneplus 8’s USB C port
- Wrap the wireless charging coil around the back of the phone
- Secure it in place with your favorite OnePlus 8 case
- Place the Oneplus 8 on a Qi wireless charger and it will start charging
Charging the OnePlus 8 with Wireless charging will be slower than wired charging. Most of the wireless charging adaptors allow 5W charging, but I recommend the more expensive models promise to deliver 7.5W or even 10W charging if speed is important for you.
Adding a wireless charging adaptor to your OnePlus 8 isn’t the best option if you want the fastest charging speeds, but it’s a great option to ensure your phone is always topped off since you won’t need to remember to plug it in every time you set it down. The slower charging speed also has the advantage of increasing the longevity of your phone’s battery life and fast charging lithium batteries contributes to reduced capacity over time.
Don’t forget the wireless charging stand/pad
If you pick up a wireless charging adaptor for the Oneplus 8, you’ll also need to invest in a wireless charging stand or pad if you don’t already have one. Wireless chargers come in all shapes and sizes. Below are a few wireless charging pads and stands I recommend to keep your OnePlus 8 charged up.
- AUKEY Wireless Car Charger
- Nomad Wireless Charging Base Station
- Anker Wireless Charger Stand
- CHOETECH Dual Fast Wireless Charger
- USB C Power Bank, AUKEY Wireless Portable Charger
- AUKEY Wireless Charging Station
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