Sourcing Wireless Chargers from China: Wholesale Guide

Wireless charging has gone from a premium feature to a commodity expectation. Most mid-range and premium phones now support Qi or MagSafe. The result is a large, competitive category with plenty of sourcing options — and a lot of cheap product that fails in the field.

The factories are concentrated in Shenzhen and Dongguan, with significant production in Suzhou as well for higher-volume OEM work.

Factory Tiers

Budget ($2–6 factory cost): Round or oval pads. 5W or 7.5W max output. Usually only supports standard Qi, not Fast Wireless Charging. Plastic housing. These work for basic phone charging but fail to deliver on any “fast charge” claims. Common as promotional items and Amazon basics.

Mid-range ($6–18 factory cost): 10W–15W fast wireless charging. MagSafe-compatible disc designs (15W for iPhone 12–16). Stand/pad designs for multiple devices. Some 3-in-1 charging stations (phone, earbuds, watch). This is where most consumer purchasing happens at $20–40 retail.

Premium ($18–50 factory cost): 65W multi-device charging pads, GaN technology, certified MagSafe alignment with magnets, full Apple watch charging coil compatibility, compact travel designs. Anker, Belkin, and Mophie are the brands competing here. The same factories supplying them also sell to importers.

The Qi Certification Question

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) owns the Qi standard. Qi certification means a charger has been tested to work safely and interoperably with Qi-certified devices.

Qi certification is not legally mandatory in the US or EU — but Apple, Samsung, Google, and others void their warranty if a device is damaged by a non-certified third-party charger. Retailers like Best Buy and Target strongly prefer or require Qi certification. Amazon has moved to require it for many product categories.

Getting Qi certification costs roughly $3,000–8,000 for the testing process and annual WPC membership. Many Chinese factories have Qi-certified products in their lineup — always verify by checking the Qi certified products database at qi.org. If a factory claims “Qi certified” but their product isn’t in the WPC database, the claim is false.

MagSafe compatibility is a different issue. Apple’s MagSafe is a proprietary standard for iPhone 12 and later. Genuine Apple MagSafe charges at 15W. Third-party chargers with the right magnet alignment charge at up to 15W on certified MFi licensees, or 7.5W without MFi licensing. Calling your product “MagSafe compatible” without MFi licensing is technically acceptable for describing magnet alignment, but “MagSafe charger” is a trademark that Apple actively enforces. Be careful with your product naming.

Key Specs to Verify

Actual output power vs. claimed. Test with a USB power meter inline between the wall and the charging pad. Measure actual watts delivered to the phone. A “15W” charger that only delivers 7W is misrepresented. Budget chargers frequently underdeliver.

Coil quality and alignment. Foreign object detection (FOD) is a Qi requirement — the charger should stop charging if it detects metal objects (keys, coins) on the pad to prevent heating. Cheap chargers without FOD can overheat metal objects or the device itself. Test by placing a coin on the charging surface and checking whether the charger detects it.

Thermal management. Wireless charging generates heat. Poor thermal design causes the phone to throttle charging speed or overheat the device. Test charging speed over 30 minutes and check device and charger surface temperature.

Compatibility. Test with current iPhone models (15 Pro Max), Samsung Galaxy (S24 Ultra), Google Pixel (latest), and AirPods Pro. Compatibility gaps are common in budget units.

Input connector and power supply. Most wireless chargers come with a USB-C input. Verify the power adapter requirements — a “15W charger” that only works at full speed with a specific 5V/3A adapter is only useful if you bundle that adapter. The US market has no single standard adapter, so chargers that need a specific input and don’t come with it cause customer frustration.

Certifications Needed

FCC Part 15B: Digital electronics emit RF. Required for US sales. Verify FCC ID at fcc.report.

UL 62368-1 or equivalent: Safety standard for audio/video, IT, and communications equipment. Required for major US retailers. Wireless charger standards are evolving — check current retail requirements.

CE + LVD: Safety for EU/UK market.

Qi certification: Not legally required but practically necessary for mainstream retail and Amazon in 2026. Check qi.org for database verification.

MOQs

Stock 10W/15W pad designs with custom packaging: 200–500 units. These designs are so commoditized that dozens of factories produce near-identical units.

Custom 3-in-1 charging stations with your branding and a distinct design: 500–1,000 units minimum.

Custom industrial design: 2,000+ units with tooling.

The Margin Picture

A 15W MagSafe-compatible charging pad that costs $8 factory with decent build quality, plus $3 in shipping and $4 in tariffs, lands at $15. It sells for $25–35 on Amazon. That’s a reasonable 1.7–2.3x multiplier before Amazon fees.

The problem: every Amazon competitor has the same product. Differentiation through design, bundling (include a charging cable), or niche targeting (MagSafe car mount, bedside 3-in-1 station) matters more than in most categories.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Qi certification required to sell wireless chargers in the US? Not legally required by US law. But major retailers increasingly require it, Amazon is tightening requirements, and selling a non-Qi-certified product that damages a customer’s phone creates serious liability. The practical answer is: budget Qi certification into your sourcing plan for any product you’re selling at scale.

What’s the difference between Qi and MagSafe? Qi is the open wireless charging standard from the Wireless Power Consortium. MagSafe is Apple’s proprietary magnetic alignment system for iPhone 12 and later. All MagSafe chargers are Qi chargers, but not all Qi chargers are MagSafe-compatible. Third-party MagSafe-compatible chargers use the correct magnet array but charge at 7.5W rather than 15W unless they have MFi licensing.

Can a wireless charger damage a phone? A poorly designed wireless charger can overheat a phone’s battery, causing accelerated degradation or in extreme cases, safety issues. Foreign object detection (FOD) is critical — without it, metal objects on the pad can heat dangerously. This is why Qi certification, which requires FOD testing, matters.

What output power do I need for current flagship phones? iPhone 15 Pro supports up to 15W MagSafe and 7.5W standard Qi. Samsung Galaxy S24 supports up to 15W Qi2 or Samsung Fast Wireless Charging. Google Pixel 8 supports up to 23W Pixel Stand wireless charging (proprietary) or 12W Qi. A 15W fast wireless charger covers all mainstream flagship phones.