The phone charges beside the bed in nearly every household, usually via a cable trailing from a socket behind the headboard. Furniture with charging built in addresses that, and the specifications vary considerably.
The Details That Matter
- Whether a mains socket is included as well as USB
- Port type: older USB-A, newer USB-C, or a mix
- Stated output, since a low-output port charges very slowly
- Port position: top, side or back
- Cable length from the unit to the wall
- Whether the wiring can be replaced if it fails
Ranges where charging appears across nightstands and side tables, of the kind at wlive.net, allow the same solution on both sides of a bed and beside a sofa, which is where the trailing cables usually are.
Output Beats Port Count
Four low-output ports is less useful than two decent ones. A modern phone on a low-output port takes several hours, which is acceptable overnight and useless for a quick top-up before leaving.
Where output is not stated in watts or amps, that omission is itself informative.
Port Position
Nightstands are frequently bought in pairs and mirrored either side of a bed, which means side-mounted ports face the wall on one of them.
Checking which side the ports sit on, against how the pieces will actually be arranged, avoids that.
Electrical Safety
Anything with mains wiring built into furniture should carry the appropriate safety marking for your country. That is worth confirming rather than assuming.
Plug it directly into a wall socket rather than into an extension lead shared with a heater or similar load. If the unit becomes warm, buzzes, or the cable is damaged, stop using it and have it checked.
Charging in Bed
Worth stating plainly. Phones and power banks should never be charged under a pillow or duvet.
Lithium batteries generate heat while charging, and covering a device prevents that heat escaping. This is a recognised fire risk and it has caused house fires.
A nightstand with charging is, among other things, a way of keeping the device off the bed, which is a genuine safety benefit rather than a convenience.
Height
A nightstand works best roughly level with the top of the mattress. Mattresses have become deeper, particularly with toppers, so measuring rather than assuming is worth doing.
Too low and reaching for a glass is awkward. Too high and it looms over the bed.
The Alternative
A plain nightstand and a good multi-port charger does most of the same for less, and the charger can be replaced when connector standards change.
Built-in charging is tidier; a separate charger is more upgradeable. Both are defensible, and the built-in version dates faster.
Sleep
Separately from the electrics, there is a reasonable argument for charging a phone across the room rather than within arm’s reach, for anyone who reaches for it during the night.