Wireless Charging Stand Vs. Pad: Which One Should You Buy?

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Wireless charging is a boon for many people. Just plop a device onto a stand or pad and watch the battery charge increase as if by magic (it's actually just using electromagnetic fields, but the point still stands). While wireless charging isn't worth it for everyone since the process isn't as efficient as wired charging, for everyone else, they need to decide if they want to use a stand or pad. Easier said than done.

From a technological perspective, charging stands and pads are identical. They both rely on the same Qi charging technology, so if your phone works with one, it will with the other. And if your phone isn't compatible, you can always buy accessories that make older phones charge wirelessly, whether you go with a stand or pad. In order to truly determine which product is worth purchasing, you need to ask what you plan on doing with your gadget while it's charging.

While charging stands and pads utilize the same automatic charging design, their physical orientations can get in the way of certain functions. A pad is good for when you just want to leave your phone and let it charge while you do something else, but stands give you a better (or at least more ergonomic) view of the screen. So if you want to charge your phone while watching your favorite shows or while using FaceTime. you need a stand. Otherwise, you might be better off with a pad.

If all things were equal, we could end the article here. Buy a stand if you want to use the phone while it's charging; otherwise buy a pad. Except you have to take into account several other factors, many of which boil down to additional features and whether you think they justify a higher price.

Charging pads and stands come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and capabilities. Some provide higher charging speeds, while others charge multiple devices at once. However, these chargers are often expensive. For example, the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad can recharge three devices at once, but you need to shell out $149.99 for it. But sometimes simplicity wins out. We consider the Yootech Wireless Charger one of the best wireless chargers you can buy. Even though the device wirelessly broadcasts energy slower than rival gadgets, it's easy to use and charges phones in both vertical and horizontal positions. Plus you can't go wrong with its $14.99 price.

Presentation is also a potential deciding factor. There's nothing wrong with a svelte charging pad, but how about one that lights up? Once upon a time, GameStop sold special "Star Wars" charging pads in the shape of the Millenium Falcon and Din Djarin's helmet — they feature LEDs that glow blue whenever you charge a phone. While you can't buy these chargers anymore, plenty of similar products are available, and liven up a room while in use. And even if you don't drop extra dough on LED chargers, you might want to spend that money on one with a magnet that keeps your device secure and in the optimal charging position.

As we previously stated, all wireless chargers run on the same technology. Technically, you could argue that a wireless charging stand is nothing more than a charging pad oriented at an angle. If you truly can't decide between a wireless charging pad and a charging stand, just buy a product that combines both into one item.

The people who design wireless charging stations that can accommodate multiple gadgets at once tend to adopt one of two schools of thought. The first try to fit three gadgets onto one platform, such as the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad, while others split the charging station into multiple platforms that can be oriented any way they please. The Anker MagGo 3-in1 MagSafe Foldable Charging Station is an example of the latter, as it includes two charging stands — one for your phone and one for smaller devices like a smartwatch — and one charging pad in the middle. And that's only one example of this design philosophy. The Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is another such device, and you can even find an Amazon Basics version.

While wireless charging pad/stand combos are convenient since they can charge multiple devices at once — and take the difficulty out of deciding between the two — they come with several caveats. First, they often require more space than solo charging pads or stands, and second, charging stations are usually expensive. Anker's offering tends to cost $109.99, and even the Amazon Basics 3-in-1 charger costs $62.99. This piece of Amazon basics tech is cheap when compared to the alternatives, but it's still pretty expensive as far as wireless chargers go.