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[REVIEW] TYLT VÜ Wireless Charger Puts All Others To Shame

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 9:34

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(Before It's News)

TYLT has always made solid products that are both functional and stylish. That hasn’t changed with the TYLT VÜ, their wireless charger offering that doubles as a handy stand. After a few weeks of using this charger, I’m a firm believer in wireless charging, having previously regarded it as a neat but ultimately frivolous feature. Now I can’t imagine myself without it. Not only does TYLT knock it out of the park with the VÜ’s performance, the look is minimal, yet at the same time eye catching. I display this beauty on my desk with pride. Rather than the conventional approach that most other manufacturers have taken of a flat surface on which to rest your device, the VÜ features a handy 45º viewing angle.

When I received the TYLT VÜ, the first thing that struck me, as with all of TYLT’s other products, was the meticulous effort that they put into the packaging. It’s almost difficult to open and take apart all of their hard work. They showcased a gorgeous product with equally gorgeous presentation. However, I couldn’t deny myself the opportunity to put it to the test, and so out it all came. Included in the box is the charger itself, the power adapter, warranty information, and a small guide that goes over basic operations. Within a few moments, I had everything hooked up, and my Nexus 4 in hand. It was time to put this charger through the rounds.

One nice touch that I very much appreciated was the cable management. A small notch on the back leg of the VÜ allows you to feed the cable through and ensure the stand lies flat on your desk, bedside table, or kitchen counter. Attention to detail such as this really makes the overall product shine, and it’s what makes TYLT such a great manufacturer. The power cable plugged into the charging unit with a satisfying click, and I didn’t fear any instance of it sliding out or wiggling. The cable itself is solid – I wouldn’t expect this to start malfunctioning or fraying. The outlet plug is a little large, but luckily is landscape oriented to prevent it from blocking another outlet – yet another example of attention to detail. It’s also long; very long. Longer than I am tall, actually, so you’re looking at a good 6 feet or more to work with. I have yet to find myself in any situation where the reach is too short. The VÜ is light, yet feels solid – no bending or creaking of the plastic. The cradle features a soft touch plastic with an embossed TYLT logo, and I felt perfectly comfortable placing my caseless Nexus 4 right on it, not all at worrying about scratches on the glass.

It took but a second for my phone to register its placement on the TYLT VÜ. One of the main complaints surrounding wireless chargers are the slow charging speeds. TYLT’s claim of an experience like that of standard micro USB chargers is consistent with my use of the TYLT VÜ. When comparing the length of time it took a traditional micro USB versus the TYLT VÜ to fully charge my Nexus 4 from 0% battery, the VÜ only took roughly 5 minutes longer, coming in at 2 hours and 37 minutes, versus the 2 hours and 32 minutes that the stock N4 charger managed. For comparison, I’ve used other wireless chargers and have only reached about 75% from 0% after almost 4 hours.

The TYLT VÜ utilizes a free positioning A6 Qi coil, so no matter how you place your device, charging will occur, even if placed on its side. And in case you doubted, there’s a handy LED indicator underneath the lip that will show a solid green when the phone is registered and charging. Because of the positioning of the LED, the light never disturbed me at night, whereas even an alarm clock is too bright for me. Should any type of error occur when the charger attempts to connect to your device, or – as I found – if a non-Qi compatible device is placed on it, the LED will become solid red. The included User Guide explains that a blinking red light indicates that the VÜ has automatically resolved any problems. However, when I placed a non-Qi compatible Galaxy S II on it, it continued to blink red, instead of remaining solid. A minor issue, but not at all deal breaking.

The TYLT VÜ automatically stops charging your device and goes into a sleep mode once the battery is full, but will periodically wake back up and check on your device, topping it up on juice to ensure that it’s at 100% as soon as you wake up. On testing out the charger with various different cases, I found that my dbrand skin, Ringke Fusion case, and stock Nexus 4 bumper all allowed charging without a problem. TYLT recommends no more than 5mm between the phone and the VÜ, so bulkier cases may present a problem.

The TYLT VÜ is available in black, red, blue, and green, for $69.99, which is a bit more than the similar Google Nexus 4 Wireless Charging Orb, but without all of the shortcomings like placement issues, phones slipping, and slow charging. After several weeks of daily usage, I was hard pressed to find any flaws or drawbacks in the VÜ. The ability to just drop your phone and forget about it, knowing that it’s charging without any adjusting or worries about it slipping off, is a breath of fresh air in the wireless charging market. With my recent gift of the LG G2, my most missed feature is wireless charging, so my VÜ has been lovingly tucked away until the inevitable announcement of the Nexus 5. In closing, I cannot recommend the VÜ enough – convenience, style, solid build quality, and performance coupled with a fairly great price makes this a no-brainer.