Hands-on: iOttie’s fast wireless car charger is a great option for Pixel owners

Ben Schoon | Nov 7 2019 - 12:30 pm PT

Battery life is not a strength on basically any Pixel smartphones, meaning most users are going to have to find a place to charge at some point throughout the day. If you have a daily commute, iOttie’s new fast wireless car charger is a great, if expensive, option for Pixel owners.

This iOttie fast wireless car charger is the first product of its kind to be included in the Made for Google program, meaning it’s essentially guaranteed to work great with Pixel smartphones. After using it for a couple of weeks, I can certainly confirm that is the case.

The iOttie charger is made from plastic, but it has very good build quality. None of the pieces of the charger feel loose or cheap, instead feeling rigid and secure. That’s important since this piece of plastic will be responsible for holding your phone in place while you drive.

iOttie includes two methods of mounting this charger to your vehicle. The first is with an air vent. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it the preferable of the two. The dual-locking mechanism keeps the grip on the air vent tight and secure while keeping the charging mount held at the angle you want with ease, too.

The other included mount is for a CD tray. While this held very well, I didn’t like this method because it covers up the touchscreen in my Subaru Crosstrek. Of course, your results will vary depending on what car you have. Just know that the CD mount holds the charger in place with no concerns.

If those mounting methods don’t work for your vehicle, iOttie also sells a suction cup version of the mount.

To keep your phone securely in place, the mount has two feet at the bottom and two arms that lock it in place. The arms are spring-loaded with a button behind your phone locking them in place. If you ask me, they slam into the device a bit rough, but since they’re padded, I don’t have any concerns about it damaging the smartphone.

So, how about the charging? The iOttie fast wireless charger worked great with both my Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. It charges both devices at 10W steadily and, with the smaller phone, helped make up for the crummy battery life by quickly increasing my total even on short drives.

On the Pixel 4, though, other wireless chargers can achieve these faster speeds. With that in mind, you can check out Amazon for alternatives, but for the Pixel 3, this is pretty much the only option for fast wireless charging on the go. It works great with my wife’s Pixel 3 and charges at a full 10W.

The big question, though, is if this charger is worth its $55 asking price. This is a great option for all Pixel owners, but I might not recommend it to Pixel 4 owners. There are plenty of third-party options that are more affordable and will offer the same 10W speeds. If you’ve got an accessory credit burning a hole in your Google Store account, though, this is a great option. Sales are open now on the Google Store, Amazon, and other retailers.