Wireless charging technology may be slowly moving but it’s certainly advancing. A number of phones are now wireless charging capable and compatible with either Powermat/PMA or Qi or both. We’ve seen some developments already but the technology has yet to be a standard feature in mobile devices. The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has been working to advance wireless power technology and just recently, the group has announced the new Qi specification.
The new Qi is said to give off 15 watts of power to phones that allow wireless charging. This means amount of time to charge a device has been decreased. It’s faster than ever. Most companies now offer quick wireless charging–about 60 percent of battery within 30 minutes. That’s already fast but wireless charging still takes more time. The WPC aims to hasten such method of charging to bring consumers more convenience. At present, Qi boasts of an array of wireless chargers but there is still room for improvement.
Wireless Power Consortium Chairman Menno Treffers said:
“This release marks an important milestone for Qi, introducing
the first higher power class and paving the way for our members to address more demanding applications with products that work seamlessly with the installed base of Qi-compatible products.”
The WPC has approved the new Qi specification, as well as, the tools and procedures one need to verify if the products are compliant with the new specification or if they are backward compatible with other Qi products. Right now, only members of the Wireless Power Consortium can access the new Qi specification but it will soon be made public. No information when exactly.
This development is expected to benefit a lot of people. Treffers shared that there are more than 50 million units from all over the world that are taking advantage of the wireless charging technology. This is a huge number so there is a need for Qi to innovate and enhance technology to meet every challenge along the way.
SOURCE: Wireless Power Consortium
