We've been hearing or reading about wireless charging for quite some time and yet, there are still very few devices that feature the technology. While this unfortunate standstill could be attributed to the standards issue, the wall is being demolished to make way for this long-overdue technology.

Fady Mishriki, co-founder and CTO at wireless charging pioneer PowerByProxi Ltd, takes us to what is headed for wireless charging this year.

It has been an incredibly exciting start to 2015 with several major announcements in wireless power along with several noticeable absences.

Recently we saw the first major smartphone manufacturer (major by market share) embed wireless charging into their flagship device. Samsung has decided to build in the WPCs Qi technology into their flagship Galaxy S6 and S6 edge device. Qi wireless charging will be supported out-of-the-box by Samsung for the first time. These smartphones will also support PMA. This is sometimes called dual-mode. As a WPC steering group member this is great news. You may be surprised to hear me say that, but it really is.

What it means is that companies making a significant investment to deploy infrastructure in coffee shops, cars, airports, home furniture and so on, can make those investments with confidence. There is no longer any fear or uncertainty regarding which standard major smartphones will adopt.

These dual-mode phones are and will continue to drive demand for Qi transmitters. It's not hard to see why. Qi caters to the widest range of applications and offers a clear path forward to resonance whilst guaranteeing full backwards compatibility. Brands such as IKEA, AirCharge, McDonalds, Chargespot, Marriott, Toyota, to name few, are all choosing Qi transmitters. That's right Qi-only transmitters. In fact, there are over 682 Qi certified devices today.

According to the latest data from WPC, 15 cars have Qi chargers built in, or available as a factory installed option. Examples include the 2016 Toyota Camry and the 2015 Jeep Cherokee. In addition, 80 per cent of car manufacturers by volume will release cars with support for Qi. Also, among Google wireless charging transmitters on Amazon, almost every option you see is Qi and there are so many great options to choose from. Some of my favourites are the Tylt, Aircharge and Nokia ranges.

With the Samsung Galaxy S6 joining the Qi club, today almost every single smartphone manufacturer (except Apple, Lenovo and Xiaomi) has a flagship device with Qi wireless charging built in. This includes LG, HTC, Google Nexus, Microsoft and Motorola.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved