Why is wireless charging for years still slow?

Although it has been around for a long time, wireless charging has not been able to reach the speed that users want.

After many years of appearing, wireless charging capacity has increased from 5 W to 10 W, 15 W. While wired charging capacity has increased to 45 W or 55 W, wireless charging has yet to reach that number. So, what is the reason for wireless charging not yet faster?

How does wireless charging work?

Wireless charging will power the battery through the principle of magnetic induction and magnetic resonance . Basically, the power comes from the socket, running through the coil to create a magnetic field. This magnetic field interacts with the coil placed in the phone to generate electricity to charge the device.

Picture 1 of Why is wireless charging for years still slow?
Wireless charging capacity is currently limited to 5 W, 10 W or 15 W. (Photo: Shutterstock).

According to Faraday's law, the moving magnetic field creates an electric field and vice versa. That means every electronic device, including light bulbs, emits a magnetic field. However, light bulbs cannot charge phones because they are designed to work with a defined magnetic field.

This level of intensity is called the "standard". Smartphones often support different standards, the most common being the Qi standard . Each wireless charging standard supports different charging speeds, which is why Samsung phones with their own inductors can charge up to 15 W wirelessly, while most smartphones can only charge wirelessly with 5 W or 10 W.

Why can't carriers charge wireless faster?

Wireless charging is possible for faster speeds, but current hardware is not safe for them to operate at high capacity . Just like a light bulb works for a long time, wireless charging radiates a lot of heat.

You will clearly feel this if you ever experience wireless charging. Even with the low-power Qi charging standard, the phone still heats up during charging.

Picture 2 of Why is wireless charging for years still slow?
The phone heats up significantly when using wireless charging.(Photo: Shutterstock).

So when will wireless charging be fast and safe? We may not have to wait long when Samsung introduced the 15 W. wireless charger. According to Digi-Key, wireless charging wastes 20-70% of the power, so companies have to find a solution to ensure no charging. The cable is fast, safe and effective.

In addition, some chargers will not work when placing metal objects (keys .) on the surface. This is a safe solution to ensure they do not get hot due to the magnetic field. As wireless charging capacity increases, companies need to develop better metal detection systems, even limiting the distance to place metal objects to ensure safety.

In general, wireless charging will be faster when more effective, safety-boosting solutions are introduced. Qi Wireless Charging Association is an organization with many resources, members of major technology companies in the world. Hopefully new solutions will soon be introduced to make wireless charging a truly useful technology for users.

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