Should You Be Concerned If Your Wireless Charger Makes an Unusual Nois

Every electrical device makes a noise because once the power is on, it is “working”, and this is particularly relevant to your wireless charger. Usually it just produces a faint hum or buzz, and you may not have noticed or heard this unless you get close to it. Most of the time it’s pretty quiet and there’s nothing to worry about. However, that subtle sound can turn into a high-pitched noise, which is a sign, telling you that something about the wireless charger is not quite right.

So, which part exactly, does the noise come from? And importantly, should you be worried about it?

Where Does Electrical Noise Come From?

Electrical noises are inevitable. Alternating Current from the mains circuit flows through the conductor inside the electrical panel, creating an associated magnetic field that causes the internal component to vibrate. The vibration creates sound waves that travel through air into your ears. That’s why you can “hear” electricity.

sound waves from electronics like wireless chargers

And wireless chargers are no exception, they make noise as well. When your phone is on the wireless charger, an electromagnetic field is formed between the two, the coils inside the charger vibrate, and this vibration creates electromagnetic waves. The waves pass through objects and travel through the air to reach your ears within a certain distance. Actually, as soon as you connect the charger to power, you’ll “hear” noises, even if you don’t have anything on the wireless charging station. Noise comes from the power supply circuits, the lines and the power adapter.

Is It Normal to Hear Noises from Wireless Chargers?

Noises from everyday devices such as TVs, lights and chargers are not always audible. Most of the time, you don’t hear anything at all. The frequency range of human hearing is 20~20,000 Hz. This means that only when the vibrating ‘component’ completes a minimum of 20 cycles of vibration will you actually hear it. And the frequency range that humans are most sensitive to is between 2,000~5,000 Hz. The frequency of the vibration from electricity normally ranges between 50~60 Hz, which can be hard to identify. So, when there is interference from other noises, you won’t really notice it.

The thing is, if you can hear the high-pitched noise even when you’re not paying close attention, the chances are that something is wrong.

Why Do Wireless Chargers Make Unusual Noises?

If your wireless charger is making a distinctive or unusual noise, for example a sizzling or squealing sound, it can be quite disturbing. Worse still, you may face a number of potential risks.

To fix the problem, first of all, you need to figure out where the noise is coming from.

1. Faulty Power Supply

There are several components that the power adapter uses to convert AC power to DC power, coils, switches, capacitors, etc. And it is entirely possible that every component is making noise when electricity is passing through it. Power adapter manufacturers will usually have a number of ways to help mitigate the vibration of these components, so as to lower the noise. So, if the power adapter of your wireless charging station/pad is making a crackling or squealing noise, it could be that one or more components are not working normally anymore, or simply that the power adapter is faulty due to a manufacturing problem.

2. Wireless Charger with Fans

Wireless charging generates more heat than wired charging, and that can become a serious problem if heat is allowed to accumulate. A fan can help to keep areas cool and stop overheating; however, it also makes noises. That said, not evey wireless charger with a cooling fan make notable noises. Take the MagEZ Car Mount Pro, a wireless charging car mount, as an example. The built-in cooling fan ensures a stable and fast charging by avoiding overheating issues. And it doesn't generate too loud a noise. Beside, you will be using it in your car, where the engines make a much louder noise.

3. Fast Wireless Charging

Compared to regular wireless charging, fast wireless charging delivers more power within the same period. When normal charging switches to fast charging, the voltage or current increases, which creates more force to move the magnetic fields which can increase the sound waves. When the change in load reaches a certain degree on the inductive system, the audible increase of sound waves can be quite dramatic, which makes the noise more apparent or louder.

4. Low Quality Wireless Charger

It can be tricky to identify which part is faulty because the manufacturing process for a wireless charger is more complicated than that of a power adapter. A wireless charging station/pad has more components involved in charging process, it’s harder to assemble them and control the frequency of their electrical vibrations. The materials surrounding the coils and circuitry plays an essential role in controlling noise, inferior materials will just help pass on the sound waves rather than dampen them.

How to Fix It If Your Wireless Charger is Making Noise?

Abnormal noises from wireless chargers are not only annoying but can be dangerous as well. It can be incredibly annoying if you put the wireless charger on your nightstand, the place where you will be most sensitive to it during the quiet night.

So, you shouldn’t ignore them.

Change the Power Supply

Change the power supply and/or cable if you can identify that the noise is not coming from the charger itself. To clarify, you could test using another power supply or cable to power up the charger. If the noise disappears, then it’s clearly the original power supply the is the problem.

Deactivate the Fan/Fast Wireless Charging

turn of fast wireless charging to avoid noise

Check if you can turn off the fan when it’s not hot. If you can’t turn it off, consider buying a different wireless charger that doesn’t require a fan to keep it cool. As for fast wireless charging, avoid using it unless you are in a hurry, normal charging is better for your phone’s battery. The option to switch off fast wireless charging can normally be found on the charger or your phone.

Buy A High-Quality Wireless Charger

high quality reliable wireless charger from PITAKA

Even if you were to identify which part is malfunctioning, you may not be able to fix it. Let’s say that you hear a failing part ticking inside the charger when you shake it, what can you actually do about it (probably not a lot, unless you are a professional)? And most of the time you will probably find no indication of damage or fault at all. Therefore, the best or the only solution is to buy a high-quality wireless charger in the first place.

How Do You Select A High-Quality Wireless Charger?

You need to understand what you are looking for in a wireless charger. If you want the wireless charger to be very “quiet”, buy one that does not require a fan to control over-heating issues. Unfortunately, there are tens of thousands of wireless chargers out there, so how do you make sure what you purchase is a high-quality wireless charger? The most educated way is to buy from a reliable brand.

PITAKA has been making wireless chargers for years and every one of them has received numerous positive reviews. And now it’s latest charger, soon to be released, is set to be the game changer.

Reliable, Versatile, 6-in-1 Charging Machine – The Air Omni Lite

The Air Omni Lite is a versatile charging BEAST that takes care of every single one of your devices, wired or wireless, iOS or Android, phones or gadgets, it can handle them all. A highly reliable charging dock that provides an anxiety-free, seamless experience, with adaptable Lightning/USB-C connectors and chain-coil charger allowing for alignment-free placement of your devices when charging.

Despite being such a powerful charger, it has been specifically engineered to be so quiet that it will not disturb your sleep when you place it on your nightstand.

High Quality

The result of numerous tests and adjustments by PITAKA engineers, the Air Omni Lite has been designed to outclass any competitors in the market. From the smallest gearwheel to the watch controller, from the coils to the light sensor, every single detail has been designed specifically to be the best that can be created. You can be assured that everything runs smoothly in a “quiet” way, even if your phone is fast charging.

Premium Materials and an Optimized Design

Air Omni 6-in-1 charger wireless charging station

There is no fan inside the 6-in-1 charger, which means no noise. You may wonder, how they have optimized the charger to keep cool and not need a fan? Over-heating is not an issue for Air Omni Lite because the design incorporates specific materials to control heat effectively. The core frame of the Air Omni Lite is crafted from chromed zinc alloy, which is exceptionally good at dissipating heat and has a high degree or resistance to wear when compared to other metals.

The Bottom Line

Electrical noise is inevitable to some extent. You can “hear” it in your router, your computer, your TV as well as your wireless charger. However, what you need to do is pay attention to any high-pitched or ticking noise. If you hear a constant unusual noise from your wireless charger, that’s when you need to be concerned. You need to figure out where or why it makes the noise and solve it as soon as possible; otherwise the noise could drive you mad.

A high quality wireless charger, from PITAKA, can guarantee you won’t hear any unnecessary noise.

If you intend to buy or replace a wireless charger, look no further.