This blog post is about wireless charging a Samsung S5 SM-G900F/T mobile phone.
Warning: This blog post is not a recommendation and you’re responsible for any damage, costs, health and safety issues or anything else that occurs after reading my blog post! I’m just blogging about what I’ve done.
Please note: I’m not using a faulty phone for phone calls and my primary phone doesn’t have a faulty USB port. I would never rely on wireless charging for my main phone.
Introduction
I’m a fan of the G900 range of S5 phones and own both the F and T models. The phone has a quad core CPU, 16MP front facing camera, microSD slot and you can easily remove the battery. For me, those specifications, make the phone my currently preferred phone to use.
One of the phones I purchased is a G900F running Android 6.0.1 and it has a faulty USB port and I’ve decided not to replace the port. Instead I purchased a wireless charging back cover and a QI wireless charger and now I can charge the phone without using the phone’s own USB port.
I’ve also tried the wireless charging back cover and charger with a G900T that is running the LineageOS 17 (Android 10) custom ROM and it worked without issue.
What I’m using
I saw a cheap wireless charging case, but the one I saw might be made with leather, so reluctantly I didn’t buy it. Instead I purchased a more expensive second-hand wireless back cover I saw and that is the model EP-CG900IWU.
I then purchased a cheap QI wireless charger that supports 10W, 7.5W and 5W charging. The eBay listing mentioned iPhones and various Samsung phones, but not specifically the S5.
The charger I purchased pulses blue when charging and it is powered via a micro USB cable, which for the time being I’m plugging into a PC to provide power.
The EP-CG900IWU is slightly thicker than my original back cover. The cheap TPU back cover that I placed over the original back cover, doesn’t quite fit over the EP-CG900IWU cover, so I’m not using a case cover at the moment with that phone.
Mini-FAQ
Q. Can you wirelessly charge a Samsung S5 G900F/T with the phone turn off?
A. Yes, I’ve been able to charge the phone when it’s turn off.
Q. Can you wireless charge a phone with a custom ROM on a Samsung S5?
A. I’ve wireless charged a G900T running LineageOS 17 Android 10.
Q. Can you charge through a phone case/cover?
A. I placed my plastic cover on the back on the phone and it didn’t quite fit properly, but it did charge. The phone felt quite warm, so I removed my plastic cover and didn’t try to charge it that way again!
Q. How do you know if the device is wirelessly charging?
A. If the phone is turned off, press the power button briefly should show a charge status. If the phone is turned on, you should see in the top right if the phone is charging and a red light in the top left. On the wireless charger itself, there should be an indication of charging, such as the light pulsing blue.
Final thought
Wireless chargers have been around for a while and whilst I’ve been interested in the technology, it was only when I had a specific requirement that I’ve tried it. I’m still happy to charge my other devices without wireless technology.