This MagSafe charger powers up my iPhone while cooling it down (and it's on sale)

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Amegat Qi2 Wireless Charging and Cooling Pad is on sale on Amazon with a 30% off coupon for $34.
• This Qi2 wireless charger can charge an iPhone at the full 15W, and bring overheating devices down to 48°F/9°C continuously, even under heavy workloads.
• It might be overkill for casual users. 

There’s a tradeoff with modern smartphones. They’re getting more powerful, but they’re also generating a lot more heat. And all that needs to be dissipated. 

Add charging — especially wireless charging — to the mix, and you have the perfect storm for overheating, and having the device’s performance throttled. Not good!

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Some manufacturers try to prevent this throttling by adding a fan to the wireless charging pad. While this does dissipate heat, it loses effectiveness in higher ambient temperatures. Additionally, if your phone is in a case (like most are), it can simultaneously reduce charging efficiency and trap heat.

But you can do better than just a fan. The Amegat Qi2 Wireless Charging and Cooling Pad adds thermoelectric cooling (TEC) to its built-in fan to reduce operating temperatures way more than a fan on its own. 

This puck-shaped charger is built to Qi2 wireless charging standards, which means it can push up to 15W to devices. The charger is MagSafe compatible, so it’s compatible with iPhones going back to the iPhone 12, AirPods with a charging case, and even Android devices that have wireless charging and are fitted with a magnetic ring.

There’s also a white LED built into the charger for visual entertainment. I tested the charger, and found no issues with how it works, as it will charge an iPhone 16 from flat to to 50% in 30 minutes.  

But the charging bit is just part of its feature set. Its ability to cool down the device is what makes it different than any old MagSafe charger. The TEC — also known as a Peltier device —  is used to draw heat from the charging surface, and the fan is used to dissipate that waste heat into the surroundings. 

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There’s a small display built into the charger that is used for real-time temperature monitoring, and it’s very accurate based on my testing. The cooler can bring the temperature down to around 48°F/9°C continuously, even under heavy workloads.

The fan, which is essential for TEC cooling, is almost imperceptible. I can hear the fan if I put the charger close to my ear, but it’s barely audible when it’s running next to my bed at night.

One thing to consider is that this charger requires more power than a regular 15W wireless charger. With the charger, cooler, and LED running, the charger draws around 22W. this means that running the charger from a power bank will be less efficient than using a regular wireless charger, and the most efficient way to charge anything from a power bank is to use a cable. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

While not everyone needs a wireless charger with built in cooling, those who push their iPhones hard when gaming, or run their handsets in hot environments, will find this immensely beneficial, improving both performance and charging. 

The Amegat Qi2 Wireless Charging and Cooling Pad usually retails for $49, but currently there’s a 30% off coupon on Amazon, bringing it down to $34.30.