I love the convenience of a wireless charger and hate the limited space on my phone (I take a lot of pictures and videos). This charger offers a way to free up space and protect my files in case something happens to my phone without paying for a file storage service or having to connect to my computer. Pros - It charges both my iPhone 8 and my wife’s iPhone 11 quickly with TPU cases (30-40% per hour). - I leave this on my desk and use it while working in between calls - not having to constantly unplug to take a call is great. - 6ft power cord is convenient - Charges without the Ixpand app installed - Charge status indicating light is useful - Automatic backup of files from my iPhone using the Ixpand app worked perfectly in the background and setup was easy. - You don’t have to create an account to use the automatic backup feature unless you want to secure your files from other users of the same charger - you only need the device password provided the first time you link the charger (save this separately from the phone, because it is needed if you reinstall the app). Things to Consider - The file backup feature works via your WiFi network - this is good because it means the phone doesn’t have to be on the charger, just near it - the disadvantage is that the backup feature only works when your charger is on the your WiFi network (if you take it to work or school it will not sync until you are back home). - You can’t access sync’d files unless you are near the charger on your WiFi - so you can only offload files you won’t need on the go. - My iPhone 8 never had an issue charging - just toss it on the charger, but my wife’s larger iPhone 11 would only charge reliably in one direction - not an issue once I figured this out and it might be that her case is also a little thicker than mine. - Your phone gets warm while using this device - not much hotter than the normal charger, but the instructions recommend using it in a cool place. This charger works well and delivers on the promise of easy file backup without making you create yet another account, but I wish that I could access some of my files on the go and I wish it worked regardless of orientation for my wife’s iPhone 11.

This is really two devices in one. The obvious is that it's a wireless charger and also it's a wireless storage for your phone. Unlike most other wireless chargers, this is a large pad that covers all the back of the phone. Because it's so large, and slightly curved, the phone sits on it without too much fuss in getting the right alignment. It's rated for 10W so it charges the phone relatively fast. The wall plug is relatively small and flat, which is nice, but uses a barrel plug to the pad instead of an USB connector, so that's the only charger that would work with this pad. The second aspect is that it's a wireless drive that's used for backups. It's set up via the Ixpand charger app (from the Apple or Google App stores). The bottom of the charger has a QR code with the link to the right app. The drive is a 128 Gb memory. It's paired initially using Bluetooth to the phone and then once the app finds the charger, it sets up WiFi (2.4 Ghz only) with the charger. It allows to back up all photos or a group of them, and contacts. It doesn't back up anything else on the iPhone (No app settings, etc). It would allow one to forego a cloud backup plan for photos, and use the free tier instead for everything else, keeping photos (and contacts) backed up locally and privately. It allows syncing multiple phones, only limited by the internal 128 Gb storage, which is not expandable. Although it's a wireless drive, I could not connect to it from a desktop computer over WiFi, although it has an USB connector which makes it accessible as an USB drive. It gives a choice to encrypt the backups, but in order to do so requires to create an account so it can be used to recover the data if the password is lost, and also warns that encrypted backups take twice as much. The app also asks for location settings to it tries to back up on the background only when the charger is nearby. It also mentions they do not store the data, and it's only used to initiate backups. The app is well designed and simple to use. Also, so things won't overheat, it will alternate between charge and backup, won't do both at once. Overall it works very well for backup while using it for a few days so far. The key to this device is convenience. It might not be for everybody as encryption requires an account and it's optional, or that the drive is not available to a laptop wirelessly and it’s not expandable. However for something that has to be simple and does what it needs to do as simply as possible, this works well.

When it comes to critical data that I don’t ever want to loose such as family pics, or vacation shots or work documents I snap or screen shots of important things, redundancy is the key. True the cloud has them, but they are not on site and in hand. Ultimately having an in hand approach to my data is the safest way to ensure that a once in a lifetime “glitch” doesn’t leave you with nothing! I know I know…not likely but the small chance it did…now that would be devastating to me! This Ixpand Charger Sync is really a great addition to my data redundancy to ensure that never happens. I wirelessly charge anyway everyday why not let my charger do a backup as well without any effort or thought on my part! Brilliant Sandisk! I also really like that it will back up my contacts as well as photos. It’s a 10W charger so it’s plenty fast enough for me. I charge over night anyway so 5W to 7.5W speeds or even 15W with other options really don’t make a difference. It’s the fast charge with backup that’s the real winner for me with this Sandisck Ixpand. I opened it up and after a few minutes it was off and running. I have a Defender Pro case on an iPhone 12 Pro Max and zero issues. The unit itself is thinner than I thought it would be and has a nice non slip coating on the bottom. So when you place it by your night stand it will stay there. Plenty of cable to run to an outlet and it just looks cool! The app downloaded easily and then it paired to my phone after that it synced to my wifi and the phone on the same wifi. It gave me a one time pin for privacy so be sure to screen shot or stick in a password app for future use if you need to install again. So easy! If you charge wirelessly…do yourself a favor and let Sandisk Ixpand charge you up AND also secure your precious pics! I have lost pics in the past, pre-cloud days, and it still pains me today thinking about pictures of precious people and times gone for ever! Awesome product Sandisk!! I highly recommend!

We all appreciate the convenience of wireless charging. We all want our wireless charging devices to be fast and easy to use. Fortunately this covers those bases. What makes this interesting is the onboard storage that allows the device to actively back itself up while charging. It's really a unique feature that makes this stand out. It is uncomplicated and really a useful feature in a field full of basically the same idea. Everyone is always worried about losing their photos and videos from this device and this really makes doing that effortless. Initially the unboxing and setup is nothing special. Open the box, plug it in, and it just works, at least for charging. Bear in mind that if you have a case that is too thick or metal, that it will not work, but this is the same with any wireless charging device. But then comes the interesting part, the automatic backup functionality. The device has 128GB of space on the unit itself and using the app it can automatically backup pictures and videos without any interaction. Installing the app is as straightforward as any other app, for me, I just tossed it on the devices from the Google Play store and it just worked, you didn't even need to create an account (although it gives you the option to do so). Without any intervention it will automatically backup your pictures and videos, although you can customize that if you choose. While backing up things can use some power, there is an option that allows you to prioritize backing up, or charging, or a balance of the two. It defaults to balancing the two functions, and even with that setting, it charges very quickly. All in all this is an excellent device, while more expensive than other wireless charging pads, it really makes that extra expense worthwhile.

I have several wireless chargers and a fairly thin case that has never interfered with charging. The first night I used this charging pad, it only charged to about 68%. I chalked that up to the first backup (directions say until a full backup is complete, it will go between charging and backing up). The next day, I was notified that the backup was complete and that night it still did not fully charge. I noticed the light was flashing so I tried taking the case off and the light went solid. After that, it charged quickly. I would prefer to keep my case on for protection I charge throughout the day and I don't want to keep taking the case off and putting it back on again so I end up carrying it around without the case (an accident waiting to happen!) It is nice to know all my information is backed up (where I don't know! I am not tech-savvy). I have not cleared data off my phone as I am still a little nervous about losing important pictures. If backing up information is vital to you, this might be worth the cost. If you are looking for a charger, there are less expensive models available without the bells and whistles.