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5 Best Cheap Qi Wireless Charging Pads Under $20

Looking for a cheap wireless charging pad for your Qi-enabled phone? Here are the top picks tested by CNET experts.

Maybe you recently picked up a new iPhone or Android phone with wireless charging, but with no wireless charging pad included in the box. Fear not — there are some good deals right now on high-quality wireless charging pads, a couple of which cost less than $15 and three that cost less than $20. We’ll update this story as new deals appear.

Not that this list is limited to budget Qi wireless charging pads, most of which don’t include a power adapter. If you’re looking for more wireless chargers, we have a list of the best Qi wireless chargers that includes models that can charge multiple devices at the same time (a smartphone, Apple Watch and earbuds with a wireless charging case) along with portable magnetic wireless batteries (MagSafe-compatible) and even wireless phone chargers you can mount in your car.

Read more: Best Wireless Charger for 2023

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

Over the years, Anker has sold a few different budget Qi wireless charging pads. There’s nothing terrible fancy about its 315 Wireless Charger, but it delivers up to 10W charging speeds for Android smartphones and 7.5W for iPhones and it does look fairly sleek with a slim design (it also has some grippy material on top so your phone doesn’t slide off).

It’s not a super fast charger but it’s fine for those who charge their phones overnight. A USB-C cable is included, but you will need to supply a power adapter (you’ll want one that’s capable of delivering 10W or more to get the higher charging speeds). 

You’re receiving price alerts for Anker Wireless Charger, 315 Wireless Charger (Pad), 10W Max Fast Charging, Compatible with iPhone 13/12 Series, Samsung S22, AirPods, Samsung Buds, Google Buds, and More (Wall Charger Not Included)

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

The latest version of Belkin’s wireless charging pad offers up to 15W fast charging (a power adapter and cable are included). Only certain Android phones are compatible with that 15W wireless charging speed, and the pad only charges iPhones at 7.5W speeds. It does have some rubber grips embedded into the slim puck to keep your phone from slipping of the pad. 

You’re receiving price alerts for Belkin Quick Charge Wireless Charging Pad 15W

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

The Baseus Magnetic Wireless Charger or Baseus Magnetic Charger for MagSafe as it’s called on Amazon, is a slim Qi wireless charging puck that sticks securely to MagSafe-enabled iPhones (or MagSafe-enabled cases). You can also just let an Android rest on top of it for charging (or a set of earbuds with a wireless charging). It charges iPhones at up to 7.5W and Android devices at up to 15W. 

No power adapter is included, but a USB-C cable is integrated into the puck. A 20W PD fast charger is recommended.

You’re receiving price alerts for Baseus Magnetic Wireless Charger, 15W Mini Lightweight Charger with N52 Strong Magnets & Aerogel-Made Casing for an Upgraded Temperature Control for Magsafe Compatible with iPhone 12/13/14 Series

Anker makes its newer PowerWave 2 charging stand that offers faster charging speeds and comes with a power adapter for around $35. But if you already have a power adapter, the 313 Wireless Charging Standing will work just fine for most people, particularly if you’re mainly charging overnight. It offers up to 10W wireless charging for Android devices and 5W wireless charging for iPhones.

No power adapter is including.

You’re receiving price alerts for Anker 313 Wireless Charger Stand

Mophie

This Mophie Qi wireless charging pad retailed for over $50 when it first came out in 2018 (I still use it today). It’s now down to $12 in black. This charges iPhones at 7.5W and Android phones at up to at 10W. It’s no the latest and greatest charging pad, but it’s cheap. 

You’re receiving price alerts for mophie Charge Stream Pad+ — 10W Qi Wireless Charge Pad — Made for Apple iPhone Xr, Xs Max, Xs, X, 8, 8 Plus, Samsung, and Other Qi-Enabled Devices — Black

Originally published in 2020. Regularly updated with new deals.

Technologies

Google I/O 2025: How to Watch and What to Expect

With Android 16 out of the way, Google I/O will certainly be all about AI.

Google I/O 2025 takes place on May 20 and 21 with Google’s big keynote happening on day 1. We expect Big G to talk about its myriad innovations across its ever-expanding portfolio of products — almost certainly with a huge focus on AI every step of the way. If we collectively cross our fingers, promise to be good and eat all our vegetables then we may even be treated to a sneak peek at upcoming hardware. 

Read more: Android 16: Everything Google Announced at the Android Show

Google also hosted a totally separate event that focused solely on Android. The Android Show: I/O Edition saw the wrappers come off Android 16, with insights into the new Material 3 Expressive interface, updates to security and a focus on Gemini and how it’ll work on a variety of other devices. 

By breaking out Android news into its own virtual event, Google frees itself to spend more time during the I/O keynote to talk about Gemini, Deep Mind, Android XR and Project Astra. It’s going to be a jam-packed event, so here’s how you can watch I/O 2025 as it happens and what you can look forward to.

Google I/O: Where to watch

Google I/O proper kicks off with a keynote taking place on May 20, 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. BST). It’ll almost certainly be available to stream online on Google’s own YouTube channel, although a holding video is yet to be available. There’s no live link on the I/O website yet, either, though you can use the handy links to add the event to your calendar of choice. Expect links to a livestream to be available closer to the day.

What to expect from Google I/O 2025

Little chat about Android 16: As Google gave Android 16 its own outing already, it’s likely that it won’t be mentioned all that much during I/O. In fact at last year’s event, Android was barely mentioned, while uses of the term «AI» went well over a hundred. 

Android XR: Google didn’t talk much about Android XR during the Android show, focusing instead on the purely phone-based updates to the platform. We expected to hear more about the company’s latest foray into mixed-reality headsets in partnership with Samsung and its Project Moohan headset, so it’s possible that this is being saved for I/O proper. 

Gemini: With Android being spun out into its own separate event, Google is evidently clearing the way for I/O to focus on everything else the company does. AI will continue to dominate the conversation at I/O, just as it did last year (though hopefully Google can make it more understandable) with updates to many of its AI platforms expected to be announced. 

Gemini is expected to receive a variety of update announcements, including more information on its latest 2.5 Pro update which boasts various improvements to its reasoning abilities, and in particular to its helpfulness for coding applications. Expect lots of mentions of Google’s other AI-based products, too, including DeepMind, LearnLM and Project Astra. Let’s just hope Google has figured out how to make this information make any kind of sense.

Beyond AI, Google may talk about updates to its other products including GMail, Chrome and the Play Store, although whether these updates are big enough to be discussed during the keynote rather than as part of the developer-focused sessions following I/O’s opening remains to be seen.

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Technologies

You Can Now Buy Nike’s $900 Workout Shoes for Compression and Heating

The Nike Hyperboots, designed to help you warm up and recover from workouts, launched Saturday.

Those workout shoes with compression and heating that Nike and Hyperice showed off at CES 2025 earlier this year weren’t just a concept. The Hyperboot is now available to buy online in North America, so they’re within reach, as long as you’re willing to spend $899.

The high-tops, which Nike and Hyperice call a wearable much like your smartwatch, help your feet warm up before a workout, and then recover after it. The shoes do this with heating and air-compression massage technology, taking the idea of heating pads and compression socks and making them mobile.

«You can definitely feel the heat in here,» CNET former mobile senior writer Lisa Eadicicco said when she had the chance to try these workout shoes on in January. She walked across a demo room in Las Vegas wearing the fancy footwear to test out the compression and heating features.

The boots massage and compress your ankles and feet, and in CNET’s test, we could especially feel the heat around the ankles. Buttons on the shoes let you adjust compression and the amount of heat with multiple settings for each.

«The Hyperboot contains a system of dual-air bladders that deliver sequential compression patterns and are bonded to thermally efficient heating elements that evenly distribute heat throughout the shoe’s entire upper,» Nike said.

The battery lasts for 1 to 1.5 hours on max heat and compression settings, or 8 hours if you’re only using the massage setting. It takes 5 to 6 hours to charge via USB-C cable. The boots come in five sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL.

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Technologies

You’re Wasting $200 on Subscriptions You Forgot About, CNET Survey Finds. How to Put an End to ‘Subscription Creep’

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