since I have wireless chargers everywhere (coming from a Galaxy S6) I wanted to be able to continue using those and found a Qi charger accessory that works very nicely - Nillkin Qi Receiver (USB-C Long Version):
I installed the charger coil underneath the plastic back cover of the FP3 - yes, it barely fits (after removing the useless “Discover Innovation” banderole from Nillkin).
The back cover stands out <<1mm - it is just barely visible that the surface is not quite even any more. And with the bumper, there is no issue at all as it lifts the back cover above surface anyway.
And yes, it charges just fine. Putting the phone on a charger, it first states “Charging slowly” for about two seconds, but then switches to “Charging” so high-speed charging is apparently working.
The only tiny drawback is that since the USB-C plug is off-centre, so is the coil’s center on the backside and the phone needs to put into a slightly off-centre position on a given charging station. Not an issue with the stations I use, but some of those where you put the phone into in an upright position or tightly confined space might have issues here.
Thanks for the report. I regard wireless charging as generally not desirable as I find it a waste of electricity. I can see how it works for electrical toothbrush, but other than that I find it overrated (and even for that purpose we are talking about connecting/disconnecting 2 times a day at max, while the battery easily lasts weeks without being connected in my case (an older, el-cheapo Braun)).
That being said, could you verify NFC still works for you? Have you experienced any loss of connectivity for any of the radios?
Thanks swinter for your helpful post! Since my old Lumia 950 had a wireless charging function and I’m already equipped with charging pads, upgrading my new FP3 (with which I’m very satisfied so far) with wireless charging was of great interest to me.
I ordered the charging pad you used and it works well with my Fairphone 3 so far. There are two variations, one with a shorter and one with a longer USB cable. I ordered the shorter one - I think it doesn’t make a big difference here. Like you said, it starts with “charging slowly” for a while and then seems to resume normal charging speed. I wasn’t able to attach the back cover at the left side where the USB port is properly, but wirh the bumper on it’s no big deal.
I assume other models of charging pad upgrades would work, as well, as long as it’s a model with USB-C (and not micro USB). I’ve attached a couple of photos below in case anyone else wants to give it a try.
My new Fairphone 3 in its original state and the charging pad (I removed the “Discover Innovation” banderole, as well):
Well, pretty much every Qi charger should work with every Qi enabled phone. Because Fairphone 3 doesn’t have a Qi charging ability in its original state, you will have to install a Qi upgrade on your Fairphone 3 (as explained above) before using Qi charging stations. I hope this helps!
Thanks for this helpful post. I purchased (what I thought) was a similar product and it’s not working. I can’t figure out why. It’s 1A USB-C and fits fine. Looks much like yours. Just doesn’t charge on my Samsung Fast Charge. Can anyone help please?
