One of the key features that separates the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition from the regular Kindle Paperwhite is the fact that it supports wireless charging.
You can use typical Qi wireless chargers with the Kindle Paperwhite—you can usually find them for under $15. Amazon also sells a Wireless Charging Dock for $29.99 that’s made specifically for the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition by Anker.
Amazon has had trouble keeping the Wireless Charging Dock in stock since it was released, but I managed to order one a couple weeks ago when they still had some available.
When I opened the package I was surprised by the size of the charging dock—it’s a lot bigger than a typical wireless charger, and it’s one solid piece with the stand part fixed in place. The front has sort of a fabric texture and the base has rubber strips on the bottom to keep the stand from sliding.
Charging Times
Amazon says it can charge a Kindle in as little as 2 hours with 7.5W of high-speed wireless charging. I did a quick test to see how fast it would charge, but it was only with a partially depleted battery.
I set the Kindle Paperwhite on the charger with the battery at 59%. I kept touching the screen every few minutes to keep it from turning off so I could monitor the battery percentage. While charging the device remained powered on with wireless enabled and the frontlight set at 9 with warmth at 0.
This is how long it took to charge from 59%:
After 5 minutes it was at 67%.
After 10 minutes it hit 74%.
15 minutes 81%.
20 minutes 86%.
25 minutes 90%.
30 minutes 93%.
35 minutes 95%.
40 minutes 97%.
45 minutes 99%.
I left it sitting on the charger for another 20 minutes and it was still at 99%. At some point it did eventually hit 100%, not sure when, but you’re better off not fully charging batteries anyway, and it’s not unusual for Kindles to stop charging in the upper 90’s.
Conclusion
I’m still not sure the value of a using a wireless charger on something that only needs to be charged once a month, but it certainly is more convenient than fiddling with cables, and it also works great as a hands-free stand—the angle is perfect for reading while sitting at the table and it’s sturdy enough to use the Kindle’s touchscreen without it tipping over or sliding around. It’s weird how Amazon doesn’t really market it as a stand, though. I use it far more often as a stand than a charger, considering how infrequently the Kindle Paperwhite needs to be charged.
One thing I don’t like about it is the power supply is the flat type that takes up two outlets unless you situate the brick part out of the way, and it has a uncommon connector that plugs into the charger so you can’t use other plugs—it doesn’t have a USB connector like most wireless chargers.
I also find it a bit odd the charger gives no indication when the Kindle is fully charged. It has an LED light that you would think would change color or turn off when fully charged but it just always stays on. However, you can turn the Kindle upside down to see the Kindle’s charging LED and it will charge fine that way.
All in all I think it’s a nice product, but it’s a bit overpriced compared to other Qi wireless chargers. The fact that it can be used as a stand makes it more useful though.
I’d agree that it’s odd to have a bespoke charger for something that doesn’t need charging all that often but given how good the battery life is on the PW5 I’m thinking that, if I make this stand it’s nightly resting place when I’m done reading for the day, I’ll literally never have to worry about its battery level. That’s why I bought the charging stand.
I chose to get the new PW5 but opted for the basic version. I don’t need all of the storage, and don’t like the active screen lighting. Most of my devices are wireless charging capable but I mostly choose to old fashion way of charging. I am retired with poor hearing so I read for a number of hours a day. I have to charge my PW about every 10 days.
You might want to look into using magnetic charging cables. It is the next best thing to wireless charging. I find it really easy to use.
You can tell the Kindle not to turn off by typing codes in the search. I think the code to keep the screen on is ~ds. Google this before using it.
Even though you may not charge it very frequently, These are devices that are supposed to last somewhere up to 8 years, that is a lot of use on the charging port. So I can see how the wireless charging could help extend the life of the port. I would think that I would charge it fairly frequently since I use VoiceView often, which can use up the battery faster than just reading.
If you charge it once a month, eight years means you will charge it 96 times. I charge my phone at least 1100 times (daily for three years) and the port works just fine. So I don’t really think this is valid reason… 96 charging cycles is nothing.
Some charge more often than others. For you it is not a valid reason, fair enough.
We do not charge frequently. But we’ve ‘lost’ two kindles due to port failures. So, we’re going for it.
We have a 15w Morphie phone charger so I’m going to see if that’ll do it.
Lou Sevens here- glad I stuck with regular PW5 with a second one on the way as the battery life and flow is great.
I imagine the 32gb would be good for someone with thousands of books and audible but I have 650 books and on my last kindles they never used more than a few GB
I got the dock as part of a Christmas gift. I like the dock. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. But I like it because it uses vertical space. I don’t think it takes up much space at all. I have it on my nightstand. My round flat QI would take up more space with my SE on it. The dock is space saving because it’s using vertical space. A charge indicator would’ve been nice, but not necessary for me. I put my Kindle on the dock when I go to sleep and it stays there until I wake up. As much as I like the dock I wouldn’t have bought it if I had to pay for it with my own money.
I chose to get a wireless charger for my Kindle because charging ports on Amazon devices are cheap and break within two years.