Want a wireless charger for your Apple devices but don’t want to wait around for a release date or price? You may be able to find an alternative. Meet the Funxim, a new wireless charging pad on Kickstarter that claims to power both your new iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. Designed specifically with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, and new Apple Watch in mind, this Qi standard wireless charging past promises a charging conversion rate of over 80 percent, which should lead to pretty fast charging for multiple devices. And while it features the design of an Apple device, don’t worry — the Funxim charger can also support Android devices.
The magnetic charging pad allows you to simply place your device on the surface, and take advantage of induction-charging capabilities. We should point out, however, that while the upcoming Apple wireless charging pad (known as the AirPower) allows you to place devices anywhere, the Funxim requires that you place your Apple Watch in a specific place. While this may not be a deal breaker, it does represent a notable difference between the upcoming AirPower from Apple and this third-party solution.
Nevertheless, it would still appear that the Funxim charger can get the job done. The wireless pad doesn’t require any cables or USB interface and purports to be able to charge an iPhone even through its case. So if you don’t want to constantly take your iPhone in and out of is protective skin, you shouldn’t need to do so with this particular wireless charging solution.
Weighing in at just over five ounces, the Funxim packs 10 watts of energy (as compared to Belkin’s wireless charger, which claims 7.5 watts). And while we obviously can’t make any comparisons to the still unveiled AirPower, this may be a decent substitute while we wait for the real thing to make its debut.
If nothing else, the Funxim charger is remarkably affordable, at least for Kickstarter early birds. If you choose to back the campaign, a pledge of $29 will get you one of these wireless induction chargers by January.
