Courant Catch:2 integrates 5 Qi coils for better wireless charging

Posted:
in iPhone
Courant on Monday released a new dual-device wireless charger that bakes in five Qi charging coils for a better wireless charging experience. AppleInsider goes hands-on to see how it performs.

Courant CATCH:2 5-coil dual wireless charger
Courant CATCH:2 5-coil dual wireless charger


AirPower is dead. Apple's decision to kill its promised multi-device wireless charger has opened the floodgates for other companies to rush in and fill the void with their own solutions.

One of the newest -- and most interesting -- is the Courant Catch:2. Just launched, the Catch:2 has an anodized aluminum alloy base with premium pebbled Italian leather on top.

Inside, a quintet of charging coils are placed throughout to help alleviate dead zones on the charger so wherever your device is placed, it gets power. We were very excited to test out this premise and see if it actually solved some of our charging woes.

Hands on

We were immediately impressed with the charger's premium quality. It is solid, hefty and feels well-designed.

Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger
Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger


Little touches were appreciated, such as a nylon wrapped USB-C cable to power the charger using the included USB-C power brick. There are two status lights, but instead of being around front which can be distracting, they project out the back.

Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger
Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger has a subtle logo


Logos are kept to a minimum, with a subtle logo in the front aluminum edge.

Wireless freedom

We particularly wanted to test the wireless charging surface to see how it powers up our iPhone and AirPods.

The charger is, as the name suggests, capable of charging two devices simultaneously. We tested it out with both our second generation AirPods, an iPhone XS Max and an iPhone XR.

Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger has a pebbled Italian leather top
Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger has a pebbled Italian leather top


Thanks to the coil arrangement, we definitely noticed more lateral freedom in how we placed devices. Our devices charged nearly anywhere on the charger from left to right, even when placing the two devices close enough to touch. This is essentially what Apple had attempted to do, albeit with far more coils.

We ran into issues when we started to move the devices forward and back. If we had the AirPods to close to the front or too far to the back of the charger, charging did not activate. That's because the five coils are arrayed in a straight line through the center of the charger.

Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger has free positioning
Courant CATCH:2 Qi charger has free positioning


Apple's now cancelled AirPower would have been better and yielded zero dead spots, but the pared back implementation in Catch:2 works well, even if it doesn't deliver 100-percent coverage.

Multi-device power

The Catch:2 is a solid, premium option that does an admirable job at creating a more seamless charging experience. Each of the two devices can be charged at up to 10W of power, or 7.5W for iPhone owners.

Courant CATCH:3 Qi charger and valet
Courant CATCH:3 Qi charger and valet


It joins the already impressive lineup from Courant which includes the fan-favorite Catch:3 which integrates a valet next to a wireless charger.

The Catch:2 runs $175 and is available to purchase from Courant's website.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    emoelleremoeller Posts: 574member
    How does it work with Watch?
    caladanianwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 12
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,336member
    emoeller said:
    How does it work with Watch?
    I'd like to know this as well?  I don't use AirPods, but would like to be able to charge phone and watch with the same charging pad.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 12
    It’s really curious that Apple couldn’t get AirPower to work... they spent years on it.

    My first thought is charging multiple devices, like this, in some way damages the battery of the device.  As in, reduces the battery life of the device...

    I have no evidence, but Apple’s diagnostics must have turned up something.  Otherwise, why walk away?

    One device per wireless charger, until someone (Apple) provides clarity.
    lolliverbadmonkwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 12
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,844member
    It’s really curious that Apple couldn’t get AirPower to work... they spent years on it.
    I think it serves as a useful reminder that building best-in-class hardware ain't easy. Nowhere as easy as those who say "Why can't they just XXX!?" believe it is. However I've spent my career building software & retail products for household names and national retailers; it's never easy. Things go wrong and take longer than expected, always. New products are the worst due to the fog of war being greater and the efficiency/yield being worse. People don't realize that even with things as common as processors, there are bins of failed yield. 
    lollivernetroxwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 12
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    jcs2305 said:
    emoeller said:
    How does it work with Watch?
    I'd like to know this as well?  I don't use AirPods, but would like to be able to charge phone and watch with the same charging pad.
    These aren't compatible with Watch.

    I got one of these a while back for my office desk and it works fine. $33. There are others that have a Watch charger and a lightning plug for AirPods in addition to the phone 'panel' as well. 



    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVJNQBF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    netroxwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 12
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    My first thought is charging multiple devices, like this, in some way damages the battery of the device.  As in, reduces the battery life of the device...

    I have no evidence, but Apple’s diagnostics must have turned up something.  Otherwise, why walk away?
    Why would that be the logical conclusion, given you have no evidence? I can think of a dozen more likely reasons than "charging multiple devices damages batteries".
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 12
    It’s really curious that Apple couldn’t get AirPower to work... they spent years on it.

    My first thought is charging multiple devices, like this, in some way damages the battery of the device.  As in, reduces the battery life of the device...

    I have no evidence, but Apple’s diagnostics must have turned up something.  Otherwise, why walk away?

    One device per wireless charger, until someone (Apple) provides clarity.
    5 coils could be near the threshold of acceptable heat generation.  Apple was rumored to be attempting a 22 coil mat w/random placement.  That's a substantially heavier lift.  Apparently too heavy.  There are already plenty of multi-device Qi chargers, just none that can do random placement like Apple was attempting.
    fastasleeplollivercaladaniandoozydozenwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 12
    Lovely charger but for $175, an assortment of several anker pads and stands around the house offers more utility for my lifestyle.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 12
    It's not compatible with Apple Watch and that's obvious, but given that it's Apple's most popular goddamn wireless charging device… it has to be mentioned.

    No Apple Watch, no bueno. 🚮
    caladanianwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 12
    Why is the watch not 100% Qi-compatible? I think not the pads but the watch needs some upgrade here to guarantee that it works seamlessly. 
  • Reply 11 of 12
    Lovely charger but for $175, an assortment of several anker pads and stands around the house offers more utility for my lifestyle.
    I don't understand why anyone would pay $175 for a Qi charger either.  There are numerous well designed, high quality chargers retailing for far less.  I wouldn't advocate for anyone to buy dirt cheap chargers but there's a lot of wiggle room between dirt cheap and $175.  
    watto_cobramainstreamusa
  • Reply 12 of 12
    Andrew_OSUAndrew_OSU Posts: 573member, editor
    It’s really curious that Apple couldn’t get AirPower to work... they spent years on it.

    My first thought is charging multiple devices, like this, in some way damages the battery of the device.  As in, reduces the battery life of the device...

    I have no evidence, but Apple’s diagnostics must have turned up something.  Otherwise, why walk away?

    One device per wireless charger, until someone (Apple) provides clarity.
    This is far from true, or conclusive.

    The reports, which we've extensively covered, point to issues with heat and speed as the reasons behind AirPower's ultimate demise. None of this has had anything to do with damage the phone's battery.

    Additionally, multiple coils have nothing to do with the battery in the terms you are speaking. When there are multiple coils in a charger, multiple coils do not get activated at once to charge a single device. When placed, the coil that is most centered is the one that is activated and used to charge the device. So whether there are 22, 5, or 1 -- only one coil is activated per device to charge.

    Even more, Apple itself sells the new Mophie dual-device charger. It has multiple coils and charges two devices at once on one charging pad. If Apple had any reason to think more than one device per charger was bad, they wouldn't endorse it by selling it in their stores.
    fastasleepwatto_cobra
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