Samsung Galaxy S4 Accessories: Wireless Charging Kit Now Available For Flagship Smartphone

Wireless charging is finally coming to the Samsung Galaxy S series, a year after it was originally promised. The South Korean manufacturer gave the Samsung Galaxy S4 Wireless Charging Kit its debut on its website Friday. The kit consists of a Wireless Charging Pad and Wireless Charging Cover. Powered by the Qi Wireless Power Consortium, the kit will cost about $90, with the pad selling for $49.99 and the cover selling for $39.99.

Back in March when Samsung gave the Galaxy S4 its debut in a Broadwayesque spectacle, it promised wireless charging as one of the fantastic features the smartphone would possess. However, this is not the first time Samsung has promised wireless charging for a Galaxy S series device. The Samsung Galaxy S3, released in May 2012, was also intended to have wireless-charging capability, Gotta Be Mobile noted. In fact, many Galaxy S3 owners are still waiting for wireless charging to come to that handset.

But with the Samsung Galaxy S4 selling like hotcakes -- more than 10 million of the devices have been moved, despite the recent concerns about sales trends that hit the share price of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KRX:005935) late this week -- there are many Samsung fans who would love to take advantage of wireless-charging ability for their new handsets.

Each user should be aware that the charging cover must be placed on their Galaxy S4 handset for its wireless-charging ability to be enabled. Meanwhile, we suspect that other devices with Qi-based wireless-charging capability may be able to charge via the Galaxy S4’s wireless charging pad. Each user should also be aware that while wireless charging for the Samsung Galaxy S4 does bring a sense of convenience, the charging itself is time-consuming -- likely due in part to the fact that there is no input delivering power directly into the device.

We note Samsung’s use of an external wireless-charging method as opposed to an internal one, such as what is seen in the Google Nexus 4 smartphone. The manufacturer likely opted for an external accessory to keep the Samsung Galaxy S4 slim, as it has heavily advertised. The reason Samsung did not introduce wireless charging to the Galaxy S3 supposedly centered on the thick wireless-charging modules that would have made the device bulky and hard to handle, as noted by Android Authority. An October 2012 report by Sammy Hub indicated that Samsung was in the process of mass-producing wireless-charging modules that were 40 percent thinner than those on the market. However, we have not yet seen any Samsung devices outfitted with the company’s own wireless-charging ability. Perhaps future Galaxy S series devices will usher in the age of built-in wireless charging for Samsung.

Currently, it appears the Galaxy S4 Wireless Charging Kit may be sold out at Samsung’s website. However, many third-party retailers have the kit available, including Droid Life and ShopAndroid.