Best answer: Samsung's Wireless Charger Duo is useful, minimal, and looks great on any desk or nightstand. If you need to charge both a phone and a Qi-compatible smartwatch on a regular basis, this is an excellent choice compared to using two separate chargers.
- Great dual charger: Samsung Wireless Charger Duo ($65 at Amazon)
- New and improved: Samsung Wireless Charger Duo Pad ($100 at Amazon)
Charge all the things
The cool thing about Samsung's chargers is the way they follow a global spec, which means you don't need to have a Samsung-specific device to use it. Like its predecessors, the Wireless Charger Duo will charge anything that is designed to work with the Qi standard. This applies to the phone side as well as the watch side; in fact, you can even charge a phone on the watch side if you really wanted to. The flat portion of the charger is obviously designed to keep a smartwatch held in place, but it gets the job done with a smartphone too — albeit a tad precariously with larger devices.
Unlike its predecessors, you have no control over the angle your phone sits at when charging.
In terms of charging speeds, the Wireless Charger Duo offers the previous-generation "Fast Charge" level from Samsung, which has since been upgraded to Fast Charge 2.0. It still charges plenty fast, especially for something that's typically used casually on a desk while at work or on a bedside table while you're sleeping. And on the wearable side, the smartwatch itself will be the limiting factor of charging speed anyway.
If you're a fan of using a wireless charger on your bedside table, the increased size of the Wireless Charger Duo may be a concern for you. Samsung's usual chargers are about six inches wide and three inches long, but this Duo charger measures up to be a noticeably larger eight and a half inches wide. And unlike its predecessors, you have no control over the angle your phone sits at when charging.
One very cool thing you're not going to find with most of the wireless chargers Samsung has made in the past is multiple color options. In the past, these chargers have been a matte black or a dark blue with grippy surfaces everywhere, but the Wireless Charger Duo is available in both a glossy black and a glassy white. This isn't a huge deal, but the choice is nice if you're looking for something that won't stick out terribly in a well-designed room.
Should you buy the Wireless Charger Duo? Yes
If you have a phone and a watch with wireless charging capabilities, the Wireless Charger Duo is a great way to save a power outlet and decrease accessory clutter wherever you need to charge. Plus, it looks nice, especially compared to some of the other chargers out there with multi-device support.
But like anything else, you're going to pay quite a bit for the privilege. This charger is $65 currently, which is more than you'll pay for even a pair of wireless chargers, but the convenience and simplicity of having both devices charge from a single charger is worth the extra money.
If you're sold on getting a Wireless Charger Duo, but have one of Samsung's new Galaxy S10 models, you'll want to consider an upgrade to the $100 Wireless Charger Duo Pad. It has the new Fast Charge 2.0 standard from Samsung that will juice up your phone even faster, though it comes at an increased price and with no upgrade for the smartwatch side of the equation. It also has the added benefit of being even sleeker because it's flat for both charging positions.
A simple stand with a sidecar pad for your smartwatch
The Samsung Wireless Charger Duo is nicely designed and easy to use, reducing clutter for anyone who has to charge two devices simultaneously. It's a little more expensive than what you'd pay for two separate charging pads, but the convenience is worth it.
A new version with even faster wireless charging
If you have a new Galaxy S10, you may want to consider spending $30 more on the new Fast Charge 2.0 version of this charging pad. That'll give you the best possible charging speeds for your phone while retaining the ability to charge another device next to it.
