This is my Galaxy S7 Edge in its Spigen Neo Hybrid Crystal case, sitting on its handy wireless charging stand on my desk. I think this might be the ideal combination of convenience features for pure laziness and security.
(The photo looks like crap because I took it with my coworker’s ancient Galaxy S4 Mini. I tried to clean it up best I could but it’s not great. This person was the closest/likeliest available person who would let me use their phone to take a picture.)
I got a cheap Amazon wireless charging stand a few weeks ago for my S7 Edge and I really like the ability to mess with my phone while it’s on the stand. I mean, I could pick it up but it’s nice to get a little notification, give it a quick flick, and get on with my day.
The key to this is the S7 Edge’s fingerprint sensor is on the front of the phone. I use Google Smart Lock to set my house as a trusted location, and my car as a trusted bluetooth device, but I want the phone to stay locked at work in case I leave it on my desk, or forget it in a meeting room, and some nefarious tries to mess with it. This scenario is unlikely to happen, but hey, peace of mind.
Most phones newer than my S7 Edge that support wireless charging have their fingerprint sensors on the back of the phone. What phones besides mine supports wireless charging and has a front fingerprint sensor? I searched GSMArena and the only phones with this combination are the Samsung S5 thru S7, the Note 5 and 7, and the iPhone 8. That’s it.
I suppose the stupid iPhone X could also be unlocked sitting on this stand as long as I move my face to the right spot in front of it.
Luckily, by the time I’m probably in the market for a new phone, in-screen fingerprint sensors should be more common, which will be similarly good for using with a phone on a wireless charging stand.