Wireless charging sounds great, right? Just plop your phone on a stand, a pad, or even furniture with
built-in wireless charging, and voila, it starts charging. No cables, no fuss. Even though most newer phones
have wireless charging, one research report showed
that only 29% of people use it. Why hasn't it taken off? Well first of all, you need
a phone or a phone case that's capable of wireless charging, and not everyone has one. Qi is the standard for
almost all wireless chargers. Phones that support Qi
are mainly newer phones from Apple, Samsung, Google, and LG. Secondly, wireless chargers
are slower than wired chargers. The thing about wireless
charging is it uses something called electromagnetic induction, basically transferring
energy from one place, like your charging mat, for example, to another, your phone.
Wireless charging uses two physical coils. The induction coil in the charger and the receiver coil in the phone. If you don't align the two
coils on top of each other, your device won't charge correctly. This method of charging is slower than plugging your phone
straight into an outlet, which lets the power flow from the outlet through the wired charger to your phone. Most wired chargers have a rating of at least 12 watts, while
most wireless chargers only reach about 7.5 or 10 watts. Basically, the smaller the number, the longer it'll take
to charge your phone. And if you have a case for your phone, it'll charge even slower, or
might not even work at all.
Some wireless chargers do
have a fast-charge mode, but it'll only work with phones from the same manufacturer. So a Google Qi charger might fast-charge a
Pixel but not a Galaxy. Yes, if you're not looking
for a fast charger, or if you're only charging
your phone at night while you sleep, then a wireless
charger could work for you. But for the most part,
you can't use your phone while it charges wirelessly. If you take your phone
off the wireless charger to do anything, it'll stop charging. You can't text comfortably without lifting your
phone off the charger, you can't sit on the couch
and scroll through Instagram, and you can't even take
a phone call properly.
But with a cord, you
can do all those tasks while staying plugged in. Also, these wireless chargers
are technically not wireless. They still have to be
plugged into an outlet. The only wireless part about it is eliminating the wire between
your phone and the charger. The price of these
chargers is another issue. The more affordable chargers
range from $15 to $30, while the fancier ones cost
anywhere from $60 to $100.
But it doesn't look like wireless charging is disappearing anytime soon. One report is expecting that by 2023, there will be a cumulative shipment of 2.7 billion wireless chargers and 6 billion devices with
wireless charging capabilities. But for wireless charging
to become the norm, companies will need to figure out ways to make it more practical
and frictionless. Companies like Pi, Energous,
and Ossia are getting there with their truly wireless
charging products.
They claim that their products can charge multiple devices wirelessly
when you bring them within a short range, kind
of like how WiFi works. Basically, if you hold or place your wireless charging phone, tablet, and headphones around
the wireless charger, it'll begin to charge your devices, which sounds pretty cool
and is a great step forward. But the thing is, none of these companies have released their product yet.
It's just all talk. Just like Apple with their AirPower. So, I'll believe it when I'm
scrolling through Instagram on my couch while truly
charging my phone wirelessly..
