[Review] TechMatte Qi Compatible Wireless Receiver - Galaxy Note 3 Accessories

[Review] TechMatte Qi Compatible Wireless Receiver
Reposted since the original post disappeared. Moderator (Naddict) said it may have been a system issue last night.
I was asked to review the TechMatte Qi Wireless Receiver. I already had one of the "blue" Qi receivers that I got off of eBay and have been using for close to a week. There is nothing wrong with the "Blue" Receiver, but this was an opportunity to look at a different version of receiver. There are also different versions of Blue receivers which I have not tried as well as other white and black receivers.
This is a review about a specific Sellers product, what they are selling, what it costs, how it compared and installed and my opinion of it.
The package arrived via First Class mail and inside was a small cardboard package.
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Inside the package was three items:
The Qi Reciever
A Thank You Card with warranty and return policies on it
Instruction Card
The Reciever
Pics of the Receiver both front and back.
Compared to the "Blue" Version
Note that my "blue" version only has 2 connectors. I've now seen others which have 3. The TechMatte receiver has 3 and they are spaced properly where the "Blue" receiver was a bit too close.
In the picture, the arrow on the "Blue" receiver image shows that I had trimmed the edge of the receiver. I also had removed the blue sticker on the cover side of the receiver in an attempt to make it thinner.
The arrows on the white/black receiver show where the tape that holds the receiver in place is, and the 3 connectors which are used to connect to the phone.
The advantage to have 3 connectors is that it eliminates any guessing which connectors to use.
The "Blue" Receiver installed in the phone
Note that I had removed the blue sticker on the cover side of the receiver to make it "thinner". I had also trimmed it a bit.
The TechMatte Receiver Installed in the phone
The 3 connectors were properly spaced on this receiver unlike the "blue" one that I had been using. The "Blue" had only 2 connectors and they were too closely spaced making the connection iffy.
No trimming or adjustments were needed.
The unit sits very flat, appeared to be wide to me, but when I put the cover on there was no bulge at all.
Images with cover on
Didn't bother with any images since I couldn't even tell there was a receiver in the phone. As a result, using the case I use (Spigen Bounce) there was no issue either.
Performance
This receiver worked the first time I installed it. No re-positioning or re-seating necessary. I have a Nokia DT-900 pad at the house and it links and charges pretty much as soon as you place the phone on the pad even with the Bounce case.
Early in the morning when I tried it, the phone was pretty much already fully charged. It looked like the charge rate was lower than I expected. However later in the morning when I did some real looking and compared between Battery Charger and the Galaxy Battery Charge apps, all I have seen is a solid 640mAh when charging.
While the phone gets warm while charging as expected, it doesn't get overly hot. I will do a real heat test between the two when I get the "Blue" receiver to a co-working. Will use a infrared heat detector to see what the temps are between the two phones in the same configuration. I suspect they will be similar if not the same.
NFC Usage
One issue that came up while testing was whether or not the receiver would effect the usage of the NFC on the phone. I had not used NFC on the phone yet and really didn't have anything to test it with on hand. Will update when I get some tags to test.
**UPDATE**
I received some NFC tags today to test this part that I was originally not able to test. The receiver does make a pretty big difference in how well the phone can see the tags. Without it, they are read very easily and quickly without really having to pay much attention where you are tapping (if you even have to touch). With the receiver, you have to actually touch, and move it around a bit to be seen. If you need to or want to use NFC on a regular basis, you most likely need to look at a different receiver for your note 3.
Specifications:
Size: 0.6mm
Weight: 0.6 oz (17g)
Charging voltage: 5V
Charging current: 600mA
Charging frequency: 100 - 200Khz
Wireless distance: 5mm
Energy conversion: more than 72%
Cost/Website etc...
TechMatte did not povide any sales info with the package. But finding where they sell it was easy.
URL: See Update below
**UPDATE** They sent me this URL as the location for purchase since the other one will apparently be discontinued soon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMRXD9U
Price: $12.99
Shipping: $1.99 (assumed First Class Mail) or expedited for $4.99 (Assumed priority Mail). Note that this shipped from PA and it took only 2 days to get to the house in Arizona via regular First Class Mail. The purchase of 2 or more would qualify for free shipping if you needed more than one.
Looking at the new website link it includes Free Shipping which is assumed to be by First Class mail. This should get to most in the Continental US in 2 days or so.
The unit is shipped from the US, so in many cases it will get delivered much quicker than the same types of units sold on eBay and shipped from China. The unit I got was shipped from PA and got to AZ in 2 days via First Class Mail in a white padded envelope.
Warranty:
30-Day Money Back Guarantee
12 Month Replacement Warranty
They have local support via a website, email and have a link for Amazon reviews to post your review.
Documentation:
A welcome sight.... The package included a Thanks card and an Instruction sheet though that really wasn't needed:
My Impressions
Showed quick shipping (from PA to AZ in 2 days)
Packing was well done and complete
Included documentation
Easy to install, Pin spacing was correct and package is flat.
No perceptible bulge so it works with all cases.
Worked the first time with no adjustments
A bit higher priced than others, but again, quick shipping and local support
Uses an Amazon shopping cart system with reviews.
Performance matched previously used products.
Not Ebay with shipping from China 7-10 day shipping.
No recommended if you need or want to use NFC.
Would most likely look this direction if I needed more of them and would recommend them to others.
As for cost... hmm.. $700 phone, $15 with shipping Qi receiver... patience in shipping time (I want it now mentality) ... fine with me.
But I can get it cheaper in China
Good for you. Seriously, that is not relevant. Most people can't hitch a ride to China to buy products at wholesale.
eBay may be a choice as well, but you most likely are not going to get it in 2 days, and you many times don't know exactly which version they are selling. Do the eBay sellers offer 12 month replacement? Most likely not.
Disclosure
I was asked to review this product. I already had a working solution but agreed to do so. They sent the product free of charge to allow for the review but that had nothing to do with my opinion of what I got, how it was packaged, how it installed for functioned. I am not associated with TechMatte Inc and have no interest in their company. I was certainly not obligated to provide a "good" review.

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Good review, I missed the qi charging from my nexus 4, when I got my note 2, now that I have the note 3, looks like a viable option again.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

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Updated original review with a video of someone else using what appears to be the same receiver. They are showing NFC issues with it on. I still don't have the NFC tags yet so have not been able to test.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfGeL4Gfw-w&t=4m47s

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I can confirm that NFC does NOT work with the TechMatte Qi receiver. I also have the white Qi receiver from eBay, and NFC works perfectly with it in my phone. Both Qi receivers add little to no bulge whatsoever, and they both charge my Note 3 at 640mah while sitting on my Nokia DT900. If NFC doesn't matter to you, then I'd recommend the TechMatte Qi receiver. While neither receivers add a bulge to the battery door. The TechMatte Qi receiver is slightly wider, and has an extra coil or just has the coil spread apart wider, which allows you to set the your phone down on to the Qi charger without having to pay attention to be sure that it's charging. The TechMatte Qi receiver charges my Note 3 no matter where I set it on my Qi charger. With the eBay Qi receiver, I have to be more careful with where I set my phone down on to the Qi charger.
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 3 via XDA Premium

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stanglifemike said:
I also have the white Qi receiver from eBay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the white one from eBay work with NFC?

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krelvinaz said:
Does the white one from eBay work with NFC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does.
Sorry, thought I said that in my previous post. I edited my previous post to add that it does work just fine.
Sent from my White Note 3 via TapaTalk

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Thanks for doing this revew krelvinaz, I just ordered one of these based on it being ultra-thin, charges at 640mA and even though it's shown to interfere with NFC, that's irrelevant to me.
You can buy it through their site and pay the shipping, or buy it from Amazon (they're still the seller) and get free shipping (I just ordered it through Amazon for $12.99, no tax and free shipping):
TechMatte Qi Receiver

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Update on Their Sales page
TechMatte sent me a new sales link for their product. The one originally in the review is apparently going to be shutdown.
The New Link is on Amazon itself:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMRXD9U
Price: $12.99
Shipping: FREE
It now shows free shipping as well. Assume the shipping is via First Class mail which is how they sent mine which means most people in the Continental US should get it in about 2-3 days.

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Any idea if this receiver will continue to charge the battery, if used with the Samsung S-View case?

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Namuna said:
Any idea if this receiver will continue to charge the battery, if used with the Samsung S-View case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would imagine that the pad would cover the pin area of where the s-view cover pin should be touching, which would defeat the whole purpose of having the S-view case in the first place.

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I know you mentioned no bulge, but that's with a case, which will hide any bulge.
How does it look w/o a case?

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I have the same blue qi receiver that you have which I got from ebay also but with the 3 prong.

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Namuna said:
Any idea if this receiver will continue to charge the battery, if used with the Samsung S-View case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This might actually work. Unlike many of the Qi receiver I've seen, this one has contacts on the outside of the receiver where the contacts are. I think they pass through the contact signals. I would have to put a meter on them to know are not though.
This is the back of the receiver (facing the cover):

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skyline23 said:
I know you mentioned no bulge, but that's with a case, which will hide any bulge.
How does it look w/o a case?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually what I said was that I couldn't see that there was a receiver in the phone after I put the back on. That is why I didn't post any pictures as you couldn't tell the difference between the before and after picture. They looked the same.
The result was it would also not have any effect of using any case you could normally use.

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Awesome review! Thanks...now I have something for my wife to give me for Christmas!

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I received some NFC tags in this afternoon and gave them a try.
With the TechMatte Receiver, they do work, but the receiver is causing them to be harder to read.
I removed it to see what it would be like without it completely (never really used NFC tags before) and found they worked a lot better without it.
I have a different Receiver coming in which has NFC built in and will post info on what I find on it. Will be in a different post as it is not related to TechMatte's product.

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Just a quick note that I got mine today and installed without a hassle!...I even accidentally left the note running when I putting the receiver on!
I've got the Nokia DT900 charger as well and it works as expected. And according to the charge rate app, it's charging at 640mA as well.
You do have to apply just a tiny bit of extra force to snap the back cover back on around where the receiver is...But it's an absolutely slight amount of pressure and I'd challenge anyone to detect any "bulge" between a note3 with and without this receiver.
I also tried putting a couple of mail catalogs (total thickness of about 1/4inch) between the charger and phone and it still charged...Which is great, it shouldn't be a problem to put just about any case on it and still retain the wireless charging capability.

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So I could use this charger with pretty much any case that I want? I totally want to do this since I hate plugging/unplugging wires.
All I would have to do then is find a mat that supports Qi correct?

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Yes, just keep in mind this its a slower charge than using the AC charger that comes with the phone. 1800mAh > 640mAh. Shook it its good for keeping you device charged, but won't charge it really fast like the AC one.
I am using two right now (pads) one on my office desk at work, and one by my lazyboy chair in the living room.
When I am sleeping, which may be a series of naps, I use a full AC charger, 1 to make sure when I get up it is fullly charged, 2 I don't play with my phone when I am trying to sleep, so no point using a pad there.

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krelvinaz said:
Yes, just keep in mind this its a slower charge than using the AC charger that comes with the phone. 1800mAh > 640mAh. Shook it its good for keeping you device charged, but won't charge it really fast like the AC one.
I am using two right now (pads) one on my office desk at work, and one by my lazyboy chair in the living room.
When I am sleeping, which may be a series of naps, I use a full AC charger, 1 to make sure when I get up it is fullly charged, 2 I don't play with my phone when I am trying to sleep, so no point using a pad there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good. Next week I will be ordering a bunch of accessories for my N900 so that they are at the house when I arrive back stateside and I am looking for the Qi setup.
Are all of these wireless chargers in the 640mAh range? I don't think that it will bother me so much as I am in the same boat as you. I usually have the cord at the side of the bed and would like to have one of these in the family room where I spend most of my time.