PowerPod brings wireless charging to your AirPods case now

PowerPod AirPods charging case

Turns out, you don’t have to wait on Apple to bring wireless charging to your AirPods case. With a simple accessory called PowerPod, you can do so now, at a fraction of the price the real deal would cost you (if it was ever available).

The idea is pretty simple. PowerPod is a silicone sleeve that you place around your existing AirPods case. Although not visible, a copper coil is installed on the back of the sleeve. This coil is responsible for transferring energy from your wireless charging pad to your AirPods case via a flush Lightning cable connecting the sleeve to the case. It’s that simple.

PowerPod AirPods charging case

Having used the PowerPod with my own AirPods for several weeks now, I can attest of the practicality of this accessory. Yes, it does add a bit of weight and bulk to the charging case, but you quickly forget about it, or at least you get used to it.

Besides, this is all about convenience. Having lived the wireless lifestyle for over a year with iPhone, it almost feels archaic now to have to physically plug a cable in a device to charge it (I’m looking at you, iPad).

Of course it was never a chore to plug a Lightning cable in the AirPods charging case, but it was always a very deliberate action that always seemed to get in the way of whatever I was doing. Those who have never enjoyed wireless charging will probably mock this kind of comment, but those who use wireless charging for other devices will totally understand my point.

Wireless charging for AirPods

Quite frankly, I haven’t done any testing of how quickly or slow PowerPod charges my AirPods. As I said before, I just place the case on my charging pad from time to time, and that’s it. I can imagine PowerPod won’t charge AirPods as fast as your Lightning cable will, but I don’t think performance is what really matters here. Convenience is the key!

My only gripe with PowerPod has to do with the material used. Silicone has many benefits — it offers great drop protection to the AirPods case, for example. But I find silicone to feel cheap and be a real lint and dust magnet. Maybe more annoying to me, the top part of the sleeve which covers the cap of the case gets flappy sometimes. Is this a deal breaker? No. And as I’m typing this, I’m thinking I might as well just cut off the top of the sleeve which doesn’t serve any real purpose.

PowerPod

Selling for $35 on Amazon, PowerPod makes for a great AirPods accessory for those who are already invested in wireless charging technology. Those who aren’t will find this superfluous and won’t easily be sold on the idea, which is fine.

Despite not being a big fan of the material, which really is my personal opinion, I still feel good recommending PowerPod. At least until Apple comes up with its own solution.

Buy on Amazon