review
STM ChargeTree Swing Review Multi Wireless Charger With Swing Arm for Apple Watch
Monday, March 20, 2023
The STM Goods ChargeTree Swing trio of wireless chargers is a great
choice for those with limited space - it can charge 3 devices
simultaneously, taking minimal space on a desktop or bedside table!
The STM ChargeTree Swing is a Qi-certified compact wireless charging station made
for Apple and Android mobile devices. At first glance, the ChargeTree Swing looks
like a regular upright wireless charging stand but the ChargeTree Swing
has two additional charging areas - one on the bottom rear side and the
other a concealed arm charger for a watch that swings in and out from
behind the top of the stand. Dimensions of the arm charger are 4cm x 4cm
with a 3cm diameter circular pad.
The ChargeTree Swing arm watch charger is made exclusively for the Apple Watch and will not work with any other smartwatch,
including the Samsung Watch. The reason for this is because the Apple
Watch does not support the Qi wireless charging standard (the Samsung
Watch does) so, the only way you can charge any Apple Watch generation
is with the magnetic charging puck that comes with it.
Oddly
enough, the other two charging areas on the ChargeTree Swing work cross platform with non-Apple devices such as the TCL 20 Pro 5G (seen pictured). The ChargeTree Swing also works with the Apple iPhone (iPhone 8 and newer), thanks to being Qi-certified, which is important to note since Apple wireless devices don't work properly with non-Qi certified wireless chargers.
Something else worth knowing about the ChargeTree
Swing is that the charging area for AirPods is large enough to
accommodate a smartphone. This means, you can actually charge one phone
upright and a second phone flat side on the rear like a wireless
charging coaster. Dimensions of rear pad are 7cm x 5cm
The ChargeTree Swing supports maximum 23W as long as the wall charger is capable. You will need at least a 20W charger
(not included) and a 20W cable (included) that can handle that power. ChargeTree
Swing can handle as little as 5W so, you can use it while connected to a
computer - although of course, the charging speed will be greatly
reduced. The front facing upright wireless charger is the fastest -
capable of up to 15W. The rear charging pad only handles 5W.
You can use the fast charger
and cable that came with your smartphone too. Even an iPhone wall charger
will work since iPhones and all Apple-made chargers use
the industry standard USB-Power Delivery spec. Speaking of iPhones, the
upcoming iPhone 15 will be the first non-lightning iPhone with
USB-C, although not the first in the Apple line-up. The first Apple
device to use USB-C was the 2015 12-inch MacBook - followed by the 2018 iPad Pro.
The
long rubber piece included with ChargeTree Swing is a booster step designed to
lift the phone up to 1cm so that the phone's wireless charging coil
aligns properly with the charger. The booster step is easy
to remove and attach - it simply slides over the bottom ledge. The bottom ledge which helps hold the phone upright is made of plastic with a thick rubber pad on top of it. The bottom ledge measures
1.5cm deep and features a white led bar built-in to it.
The led lights
solid white for 30 seconds to let you know charging is taking place.
After 30 seconds, the light turns off automatically, which is good when
charging at night while sleeping. When the white status led
flashes, it means there is an issue and the charger isn't charging. Overall dimensions of the ChargeTree Swing are 12cm deep x 15cm high x 6cm wide. the weight is 224 grams.
As far as construction, the ChargeTree Swing wireless charger has a soft rubbery finish throughout with a rubber ring at the bottom to prevent the charger from sliding off. The pad area where the back of the phone rests against is made of grippy rubber.
Potential deal breakers
- Only supports Apple Watch
- Wall charger not included
- One-directional swing arm - could be broken accidentally
- No MagSafe magnet
- Attracts dust & marks easily with oily smudges
Selling points
- 2 year warranty
- Compatible with AirPods/AirPods Pro (1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen)
- Compatible with Apple Watch (all generations)
- Works with non-Apple devices
- Perforated holes for ventilation
- Qi-certified
- Compact multi device wireless charger
- Status led turns off during charging
- Capable of charging two smartphones at the same time
Accessories included are a STM branded USB-C male to male cable (1 meter) and booster step. You can buy the ChargeTree Swing charger from STM Goods amazon store.
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