GoKawiilWireless charging is all the rage these days, but it took a while to become mainstream. The feature was originally introduced in 2009 on the Palm Pre (one of many features that helped the device become a holy grail for smartphone nerds to this very day). Ironically, the Pre used a magnetic charging stand to align its wireless charging coils, an idea that would fall by the wayside for 11 years before surging to widespread popularity when Apple introduced MagSafe charging on the iPhone 12.
In the years between those two iconic smartphones, wireless charging was more niche. Nokia included it on the Lumia 920, and that 2012 device was the first phone to use the Wireless Power Consortium's Qi standard, which remains the de facto standard for wireless charging even today. It was quickly followed by the Samsung Galaxy S3, which could be retrofitted with a sold-separately wireless charging accessory. But the Google Nexus 4, manufactured by LG, was the first Android phone to come with Qi charging out of the box. In 2017, the iPhone 8 became the first of the company's smartphones to support wireless charging, giving the tech a shot in the arm.
But for the entire time we've had wireless charging, we've also been shoving our phones into cases of varying quality. And not all case manufacturers factor wireless charging into their designs. Many of the most common issues people have with wireless charging, from inconsistent connections to frustratingly slow charging speeds, can often be chalked up to a case that's not playing nice. Of course, cases are important as phone prices continue to increase and replacements become unaffordable, and you don't need to leave your phone naked in order to reap the benefits of wireless charging. Here's how to pick a case that's conducive to induction charging.