The best possible time to launch a UV phone sanitizer would have been about five months ago. The second best possible time, however, is right now. When the COVID-19 pandemic really started hitting the global community in earnest, there was a run on these once fairly niche products from companies with names like PhoneSoap.
In fact, available models started selling out all over the place, when many people began to recognize for the first time just how much of a disease vector the smartphone could truly be. All of that in mind, the category is a pretty logical next step for the many accessory brands underneath the Zagg umbrella.
Today Mophie and InvisibleShield launched their takes on the category. The products are priced at $80 and $60, respectively, with the key differentiator here being the inclusion of a 10W wireless charging pad. Though that’s actually on the lid of the product. Meaning you can use it to charge the handset only once it’s out of the disinfecting bed.
Both sanitize phones up to 6.9 inches, using UV-C light, promising to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria. It’s certainly worth noting that, like PhoneSoap, these brands are not making claims that their products can kill the novel coronavirus. The jury is still out on their efficacy on that front. In fact, COVID-19 is conspicuously absent from the press material. And even with one of these, I’d still strongly recommend carrying around a pack of antibacterial wipes, if you can still find any.
Both products are available now, through their respective sites.