Velox Magnetic Wireless Charger 2023 REVIEW

Powerful yet compact MagSafe Compatible Vent Mount Charger

If you toured college dorms in the early 2000s, you might have observed numerous cable-centric, cord-heavy, daisy-chained fire hazards.  The constant game of cord Tetris led to my love for cable management and clean bundled lines within my built PC, work/home offices, and cars.  When MagSafe technology debuted for the iPhone (10/13/2020), I excitedly dreamt of a cord-reduced, clutter-free future. 

The iOttie Velox Magnetic Wireless Charger arrived in a classy 3 3/4 inches wide by 4 3/4 inches tall by 3 3/8 inches thick hanging style retail package.  The lime-green top and rear panels provided a catchy visual contrast against the clean white front/side/bottom panels.  The cover panel displayed the Velox name and generic “Magnetic Wireless Charger Mini Air Vent Mount” descriptor along the top of the panel in both English and French. You will find two product features, MagSafe compatible and 7.5W Wireless Charging, plus the iottie name along the bottom of the panel.  The main focal point of the cover was the clean, angled image of the Velox vent mount.  I liked the splashes of lime green on the lower edge and the crisp, near-life-sized image of the device. The right side panel displayed a vent-mounted Velox sans phone, while the left side panel showed the device with a vertically mounted iPhone.  Each image successfully employed a light/dark pattern that accentuated the contrast with the Velox charger.  

The bottom panel listed the product manufacturing labels, SKU barcode, and typical product legalese/information. The lime-green rear panel listed four main features of the device in a vibrant white font: 1. A Powerful Connection in a Compact Design. 2. Up to 7.5 Wireless Fast Charging. 3. Strong Magnetic Hold. 4. Made for iPhone.  Like the cover panel, each label provided the informational heading and subsequent descriptions in both English and French.  The lower edge of the panel listed information about the 2 year warranty, www.iottie.com address, and company name.  The lime-green top panel provided a green cardboard hanging tab and listed the MagSafe-compatible devices (iPhone 12 series or later). I liked the clean white background, splashes of vibrant color, and the overall layout/design of the packaging.  I appreciated that iottie listed the information without providing redundant imagery or text.  

I removed the top panel, lifted the inner tray out of the shell, and removed both the quick start guide and Velox device.  The Velox charger measured 2 5/16 inches in diameter by 1/2 inches thick and had an attached 59 1/2 inches long by 1/8 inches diameter USB-C cable.  The main panel had an outer 3/16 inches diameter magnetic attachment ring with an inner 1 3/4 inches diameter power ring.  The side panels had several heat vents, while the power cable jutted from the bottom.  The back surface had a 1 1/4 inches diameter concave central segment with a raised ~1/2 inches tall ball joint, while the lower rim provided the product specifications: 5V/2A 9V/1.67A input, 7.5W output, Model:VLXWCG211GY.  The 1 1/2 inches tall by 1 1/8 inches diameter vent mount had a shiny gold rim at the socket attachment point and tapered to a 1/2 inches by 3/4 inches rubberized vent bracket with “+” cutout. 

I aligned the prong slots with my Dodge Ram’s vent blades and pressed firmly to seat the mount properly.  The rectangular “+” cutout was designed to fit within your car’s vent and, more specifically, with the more superficial horizontal and deeper vertical risers/blades. Once the device was seated correctly, I connected the USB-C cable to a Klein tools multimeter and then the multimeter to a standard USB-C Aux adapter port.  When I placed my wife’s iPhone 12 or my iPhone 14 Pro Max against the magnetic mount, I noted the ball/socket joint provided a good friction point and did not sag under the weight of the phone.  Unfortunately, the combined weight of the phone plus stand caused the entire vent and mount to sag. With the vent pointing downward, I could angle the ball/socket joint to a more optimal viewing angle.  The robust USB-C prong (5/16 inches wide by 3/32 inches thick by 1/4 inches tall), rubberized collar segment (7/16 inches wide by 1/4 inches thick by 11/16 inches tall), and neck segment (1/4 inch diameter by 3/8 inches tall) stood up to several rounds of bending, flexing, tugging, and insertion/removal.  Additionally, the same attention to detail/design was employed at the neck segment (cable attachment point) at the base of the magnetic charger.  

Once I tapped my iPhone Pro 14 Max to the wireless charger, the Klein tools multimeter displayed 9.19V/1.03A.  I liked that I did not have to press any buttons or activate a “start” feature before enjoying a much-needed charge. Although wireless power pales in comparison to wired charging, the added convenience of magnet/wired charging is often a luxury.  To test the power capabilities, I placed my phone onto the charger at 9:23 am with 51% remaining power.  By 9:58 am, my phone had increased to 70%, and by 10:40 am, my iPhone 14 Pro Max was charged to 89%.  For a second test, I placed my wife’s iPhone 12 upon the charger and noted that the multimeter displayed 8.96V/0.67A.  Starting at 13% power at 8:15 in the am, her phone increased to 22% by 8:33 am, to 34% by 8:53 am, to 46% by 9:12, and 51% by 9:20 before removing the device to run into the store for her outing.  The solid magnetic attachment will hold onto MagSafe phones and allow for charging through thinner cases (those meant for wireless charging) but only minimally.  If the phones were within their protective cases, any bump or dip of my Dodge Ram would cause them to fall from the mount.  When placed upon the mount sans case, the improved magnetic connection between the phone/case prevented drops/falls.

With the push for increased hands-free utility, wireless charging features may upgrade your driving/charging experience for those MagSafe-compatible phones/cases.  Even though the magnetic attachment limited my ability to securely hold my iPhone 14 Pro Max inside of a Catalyst Influence Case, I could still affix the charger to my phone and place it over my cup holder to charge.  Without the added effect of gravity on the phone, the charging system worked nicely to charge my phone without the need to find/plug a lightning cable into the base of my iPhone.  The cable length was adequate to reach from the AUX port to my vent and from my dashboard to the cupholders.  I loved the simplicity of the device, the color, the design of the vent mount prongs, and the overall quality of the iottie Velox device.   

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