A Complete Guide: Which iPhone Models have Wireless Charging?

You have probably heard about smartphones being charged wirelessly lately that you are eager to get your hands on one. But what’s all this about using a wireless charger? Do refurbished iPhones have one?

Do refurbished iPhones support wireless charging? (photo credit: buybackboss.com)

More on iPhone Wireless Charging

The iPhone wireless charging feature does help with reducing the wear and tear on the iPhone’s charging port plus there is less chances of getting it damaged when it is plugged in and you accidentally drop it, or your furbaby became too frisky and snagged your device with its tail. Basically, this feature minimizes the time your gadget spends hooked up to its charging cable.

So, how do brand-new and refurbished iPhones that have this wireless charging feature work?

• Set up the iPhone wireless charging pad on a flat surface.
• Place your iPhone with the display facing upwards on the charging pad.
• Plug in the wireless charger to start charging your gadget.

As you can see, the setup is quite easy and, depending on how fast the device is, you can get your iPhone fully charged within an hour at least.

How will you know if your device is already charging? Aside from the tell-tale lightning bolt icon on the device’s battery icon, the charging pad will also light up so you will know that it is working. The iPhone models that do support this type of technology are based on the Qi standard.

An Overview of Qi Charging

In China, Qi (which is read as “chee”) refers to life energy which, when used to refer to wireless charging, is quite apt since there is a transfer of energy from the wireless charger to the iPhone or other devices that support this feature without the need for a physical cable to tie them together.

If you are wondering how it works, well, brand-new or refurbished iPhones that have this feature will have a coil built inside of it that, when placed near the same coils on the charging pad, it will create a transfer of energy from the charger to the iPhone’s battery. An electromagnetic field is generated between the two that helps to facilitate the transfer of energy.

According to the Wireless Power Consortium or WPC, there are more than 3,700 products in the market that are Qi certified. They have also provided a database of these products so that customers will be able to choose the right wireless charger to use for their unit.

Which iPhones Support Wireless Charging

Which iPhones support wireless charging? ( Photo credit: macworld.com.uk)

With Apple introducing iPhone wireless charging back in 2017, many are wondering which of their iPhone series support this new way of charging smartphones. Here is a list of iPhone models that you can look for if you are planning on buying refurbished iPhones.

• iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
• iPhone X
• iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR
• iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max

For those who are switching to an iPhone that has a wireless charger, you are probably thinking if getting a case for your gadget will affect its charging capabilities. Just make sure that you choose a charger that does not come with a storage for RFIDs, credit cards, and such. Also, if you will be using a thicker casing, since we don’t want to damage our precious iPhones even if they are refurbished, you will just have to remove the cover if the charging isn’t working as it should.

You can easily check if your device can use a wireless charger by checking if it has a home button or not. Apple smartphones such as the X to 11 Pro have gotten rid of the physical button for Home since they are equipped with more screen surface. The only ones that still have the popular Home physical button and come with wireless charging capabilities are the iPhone 8 as well as the 8 Plus.

Is Wireless Charging Faster than Traditional Charging?

Wireless charging does seem to be the direction that many smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, are going to these days. But does this mean that charging your new or refurbished iPhones wirelessly is faster than the old way?

Well, the iPhone models that were listed above support both Fast Wired Charging as well as Fast Wireless Charging so you have the best of both worlds. But it is important to take note that wired charging still beats wireless since the use of wire is more conducive to delivering energy than air.

What does this mean? If you are in a hurry and you want to add more juice to your device’s battery, then plug it in using its wired charger. You can take advantage of the iPhone wireless charging when you are already at home since you can charge your device overnight using this technology.

When wireless charging was first developed, the standard watts was only between 5 to 15 watts. Recent Apple devices can charge up to 15 watts and up which means that they get more juice faster compared to previous models. Just keep in mind that the higher the wattage, the more energy it can generate and use to pump up the batteries on your new or refurbished iPhones.

Helpful Tips to Consider for Charging iPhones Wirelessly

For those who have chosen refurbished iPhones that support wireless charging, there are a few tips that you should take into consideration so that you will be able to enjoy this feature in full.

• You cannot do a wireless charge on your iPhone if it is being charged the traditional way.
• If the device feels slightly warmer compared to before, especially when you have placed it on its wireless charger, it means that the coils on your smartphone and the ones found in the charging pad are not properly aligned. It can also mean that your gadget’s battery is not charging correctly too.
• Do not be surprised when your iPhone’s charging limit stops at 80% when it is becoming warm. The tech giant suggests that you remove your device first then place it together with the charger in a cooler location to see if the normal charging process continues.
• Turn off the vibrate feature on your iPhone before you place it on the iPhone wireless charging platform since this can extend the charging time. This is because the constant vibration can cause the device to become misaligned thus affecting the charging process.
• You can use any Qi wireless charging devices for iPhones, but you will need an adapter and wireless charging pads for refurbished iPhones from iPhone 5s to iPhone 7 Plus.

Is Buying Refurbished iPhones with Wireless Charging Worth It?

Are refurbished iPhones with wireless charging worth getting? (photo credit: tomsguide.com)

Is buying refurbished iPhones with wireless charging features worth getting these days? As a matter of fact, they are. Refurbished Apple products can be mistaken as brand new devices with the way that they look and feel. Gone are the days when refurbished means second-class devices that can only give you a few years. Today, these gadgets can rival the brand-new ones since any parts that are broken or have malfunctioned are replaced by OEM parts to meet the manufacturers’ standards.

What else can you expect from refurbished iPhones then?

• They will be in pristine condition or they will look and work as if they are new.
• Refurbished iPhones will be factory unlocked which means that they will not be tied down to any carrier. This means you will be able to choose which carrier to use for your device.
• Retailers of refurbished Apple products can give up to a month for their cooling period where you can test out the smartphone and, if ever you decide to return it, can get a full refund no questions asked.
• You will also receive a full-year warranty on your choice of refurbished iPhone which is the same as when you purchase a brand new one. This means that even if you are using a refurbished model, you are still entitled to free repairs and replacements if ever the device malfunctioned because of an issue on the manufacturer’s side.

Wireless charging is here to stay whether we like it or not. Apple may have been late in producing iPhones that feature wireless charging capabilities, but they made sure that their smartphones and wireless charger are carefully thought out to meet the needs of their customers. They did release their own wireless charging pad which is the AirPad and their latest is the MagSafe which came with the newly released iPhone 12 series.

If you don’t want to spend a fortune on an iPhone just yet, you can still get one that supports wireless charging in refurbished form. There are dozens of refurbished iPhones in the market today that you can grab at cheap prices here that also come with wireless charging features. You just need to determine what kind of iPhone you are looking for, your budget, and what perks or benefits you will get from the seller if you do purchase from them.