Earlier this month, we have received several products regarding wireless charging from a company called ZENS. ZENS claims that their wireless charging products are even more efficient than the original Samsung products. Today we will give you a glimpse of our findings about their products we have received. We will walk you through every product we received from them, one by one.
ZENS sent us the following products: a black ZENS charger, a white ZENS charger, a Black Galaxy S4 battery cover, a Galaxy S4 flipcase and a Galaxy Note II flipcase. The first impression we get from these products is good. The packaging looks very neat and we are very much hoping that the products will be just as good and good-looking as the packaging does.
Black ZENS charger
After unpacking the black ZENS docking station (charger), we notice that the design is finished very well and that the docking station itself is pretty thin. While Samsung is usually going for a rectangular design, ZENS is clearly going their own direction with the design of their docking station. For example, ZENS has chosen to carve some extra lines into the docking station, so it is extra clear for the users what the perfect charging area of the dock is. ZENS also added a notification light so that you can see the current charging status of the phone on the dock. The notification light is turned off when there is no device placed on the dock. The reason ZENS is claiming to have a more powerful and efficient docking station than Samsung itself, is due to the fact that ZENS uses multiple (wireless charging) coils, while Samsung (most likely) uses only one coil fort his. Below we will show you some photo’s of the black ZENS charger.
White ZENS charger
As Samsung is making more and more white devices these days, it almost looks like white has become the new black. ZENS seems to know this very well, which is why they chose to also offer a white variant of their ZENS charger device reviewed above. All specifications and materials are the same, except for the color. This dock will match your White Galaxy S3, S4 or Galaxy Note II perfectly! Below we will show you some photo’s of the white ZENS charger.
Black Galaxy S4 battery cover
While opening the Galaxy S4 battery cover we only notice one thing , and that is the thickness of the cover. ZENS is using the so-called “freedom of placement” technology; a patented technology of the company itself that makes sure that the device can be charged wirelessly at any point of the device. As mentioned before, ZENS also uses multiple coils at the same time (also known as multi-coil). This accelerates the charging process, which is something we also noticed when we tested this device. However, the (stock) charger with Micro USB cable still wins from this (and probably any) wireless charging device when it comes to charging speed. This however doesn’t seem like a problem, as most people probably buy a wireless charging device as an add-on device for their regular charger, rather than as a replacement. The Galaxy S4 battery cover is also available in white.
Below we will show you some photo’s of the black Galaxy S4 battery cover.
Galaxy S4 & Galaxy Note II Flipcases
Since the introduction of the Galaxy S3, Samsung is producing these so-called flip covers. Flip covers give the device a pretty appearance, while protecting (mainly the screen) from sharp materials and scratches. ZENS has developed their own flip covers for the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note II devices. While unpacking the flip covers we noticed that the cover itself looks a bit raw and large. So the appearance of these flip covers can’t be compared to Samsung’s flip covers. Naturally, the ZENS flip covers need more space for their multiple charging points. However, we personally do not think this design is the best solution to create more space. We would prefer a thicker version of the original (Samsung) flip cover. We also think it is unnecessary to use the Micro USB connection, something the ZENS flip cover also does. And as a final note, the flip cover renders the notification LED invisible and thus unusable. When we add these feedback together, we think the ZENS flip cover is a nice concept but the realisation is not as good as the idea. We sincerely hope that these feedback points will be improved in the next version of the product.
Below we will show you some photo’s of the flipcases.
Summary
ZENS wireless charging products are actually good products. Our devices did charge pretty fast. However, we personally didn’t like the design of the flip cover, which could have been inspired more by the official (Samsung) one. We would also like it if the Micro USB connector wouldn’t be used by the cover in the future. They might figure out another way to handle the additional thickness from adding multiple charging coils into their product(s). On the other hand, this multiple charging coils make the charging faster while the price of the device is lower than the original Samsung wireless charger.
Wireless charging is an upcoming trend on the (mobile) device market and while the technique is pretty stable, our main point of concern is the design of the chargers and cases. Using a wireless charger is easier (just put the phone down on the dock) and it makes your desk look less messy. To buy or not to buy, that question is up to yourself. If you’re thinking about buying it just for the charging speed, it probably just won’t fulfill your expectations. If you’re going for the comfort of wireless charging, then the ZENS products are definitely the way to go!
Our expectation is that ZENS will keep investing in these techniques and will keep on improving their product range. With their “freedom of placement”-patent, we absolutely think we will get faster and more elegant solutions to wirelessly charge your mobile devices from ZENS.
If you want to get your hands on one or more of these products from ZENS, you can head over to ZENS!
Stand-Alone Charger
Qi Wireless Charger Black ZENS € 49,99
Qi Wireless Charger White ZENS € 49,99
Qi Dual Wireless Charger Black ZENS € 79,99
Bundle
Kit Single White Charger with Charging Cover Galaxy S3 White ZENS € 69,99
Kit Single White Charger with Charging Cover Galaxy S4 White ZENS € 69,99
Kit Single Black Charger with Charging Cover Galaxy S4 Black ZENS € 69,99
Battery Cover / Shield
Wireless Charging Battery Cover Samsung Galaxy S3 white ZENS € 29,99
Wireless Charging Cover Shield Samsung Galaxy S3 blue ZENS € 34,99
Wireless Charging Battery Cover Samsung Galaxy S4 White ZENS € 29,99
Wireless Charging Battery Cover Samsung Galaxy S4 Black ZENS € 29,99
Flip Case
Flip Case Galaxy S4 Fast Wireless Charging 1Amp White ZENS € 44,99
Flip Case Galaxy S4 Fast Wireless Charging 1Amp Black ZENS € 44,99
Flip Case Galaxy Note 2 Wireless Charging Black ZENS € 39,99
