OtterBox unveils stackable, modular wireless charging battery system
- aug
- 22
The starter kit will set you back $130.
What you need to know
- OtterBox has announced a new OtterSpot wireless charging system that employs Qi and USB-C.
- The OtterSpot Wireless Charging Stand can charge up to 3 stacked OtterSpot portable batteries.
- Each OtterSpot Wireless Charging Battery has a 5,000mAh capacity, 10W Qi charging, and USB-C input/output.
- The starter kit with one Charging Stand and one OtterSpot Battery is $130, with additional batteries running $60 apiece.
Wireless charging is a wonderfully convenient system for topping off your phone around the house and even on the go, but wireless charging power banks are still something of a narrow field that's fraught with inconsistent products. OtterBox has long been known for its ultra-durable cases and phone accessories, and today it's expanding into wireless charging with the OtterSpot system — a modular, stackable system for keeping wireless charging at hand and easy to use.
The system has two components: the OtterSpot Wireless Charging Stand, which uses a 36W USB-C AC adapter to power the Charging Base, which can then charge up to 3 OtterSpot Wireless Charging Batteries via pogo pins. Each OtterSpot battery can then recharge your tech using either up to 10W Qi wireless charging and up to 12W wired USB-C charging.
While 5,000mAh may not be the largest capacity for a power bank — especially for wireless charging that tends to lose a bit more electricity during transfer to heat loss and the like — the ability to throw the OtterSpot down on the Stand whenever you're home and leave it there should help keep things charged all around. You can also recharge OtterSpot batteries with the same USB-C cables most phones use these days, another fine feature I like to see, especially when a plugged-in OtterSpot battery still Qi charges like a wired pad while it's plugged in.
The base OtterSpot kit with one OtterSpot Battery, one OtterSpot Charging Base, a USB-C cable, and a 36W USB-C charger will run you $130. Additional OtterSpot Batteries cost $70, with additional OtterSpot Charging Bases available for $50 and a vertical Charging Stand priced at $60.
As high as those prices seem, one of the only other consistent, nice-looking Qi power banks that functions as a wireless pad while plugged in I've found — the Moshi Porto Q — is $85 for a 5,000mAh power bank. As such, $70 for the same thing in a stackable form factor seems almost decent, especially for the name brand quality we know and love from OtterBox.
Best Wireless Charging Pads for iPhone XS and iPhone XR in 2019