An accessory that should prove to be quite a relief for smartphone users is the Sandisk iXpand Wireless Charger Sync, a device that one wishes had a simpler name. But it does two great things that permit it to call itself what it likes. First, it wirelessly charges your phone – as long as it’s Qui compatible. It looks like an extra large charging mat compared to other wireless chargers, and when you connect it to power, all you have to do is drop your phone on to it. Gently, of course. You’ll immediately hear the familiar charge start sound and can then go off to sleep or otherwise go about your business. There’s a very subtle purple light that tells you the device is active, and it is polite enough to not be overly bright in a dark room. There’s the convenience of not having to bother with plugging in your phone, but also there’s less need to think about whether your device is charged up every morning. It uses a 10W charger and works fine except that I didn’t find it very fast. That should be okay for overnight charging. It gets very slightly warm.

Backup services

But here’s the second thing this gadget does:it doubles up as storage to automatically back up your photos, videos and contacts. First, you have to download the iXpand companion app — available for free for both iOS and Android. It’s a mercifully simple app too. You will need to let it connect to your Wi-Fi network and give it permission to back up your data automatically. The device allows multiple user backups. There’s a pin for the device that you will need to save. Users tend to worry a lot over their contacts and photos, and this will help free up space on the phone. It’s a pity one can’t back up all data such as document files, of course. And PDFs.

This device with 256GB of storage comes in at ₹9,999 with a two-year warranty. It’s a nice enough looking rubbery gadget in white, which you will have to keep clean of finger smudges and dust.

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