Wireless charging and things to know

Wireless charging in recent years has gradually become a new benchmark on smartphones, but is it worth the money?

According to Digital Trends, when you hear the term "wireless power" , you will be able to remember Nikola Tesla and his greatest plan: providing wireless power to the world. Although Tesla is a pioneer in this area, his work at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries is very unrealistic from the point of view of the world. However, since then, scientists have used his concepts to build real-world applications for wireless and wireless charging.

Unlike Tesla's plan, electricity is not "transported" through the air. Here, the term "wireless" refers to the fact that you don't need to plug the device into a wall outlet or other power source. Instead, the charging surface and charging device must be in contact with each other.

Currently, there are two main wireless charging standards developed.One, called Qi , is the product of a group of companies known as the Wireless Power Consortium . The other standard is AirFuel Alliance , which produces a range of devices that are usually branded PowerMat. Although these two groups are competitors, the technology they are using is essentially the same.

The technology of both standards depends on magnetic resonance . While it may sound complicated, the transmission process is not as difficult to understand as you might think. It consists of two coils - one is a transmitter, one a receiver - to create an electrical connection.

How does wireless charging work?

The induction charger consists of two main induction coils. One is placed in the "charging dock" and is responsible for creating an alternating current from inside. The rest lies in mobile devices that need to be charged like smartphones, tablets . The coils can be in the form of a flat plate attached to the phone, an embedded circuit inside the phone, or a cum shell. Replacement battery has a charging coil inside.

The biggest benefit of wireless charging lies in its own name.

When the power supply to the charging dock is turned on, the alternating current flows through and creates an electromagnetic field (a changing magnetic field) around the primary coil. When the secondary coil (receiving coil is placed in the smartphone) is close enough, an electric current is generated in the coil. The alternating current flowing through the coil in the smartphone will be converted into direct current by the collector circuits. Direct current generated in this way will eventually be used to charge smartphone batteries.

What is the benefit of wireless charging?

The biggest benefit of wireless charging lies in its own name : You don't need to worry about messy wires anymore. What's worse when you're using a phone in a dark room and have to look for a charger cable? Another strong point of this technology is that it can be put in a lot of everyday items - like a kitchen or desk.

The charging port is no longer necessary to help phone manufacturers eliminate a "attraction" of water, dirt and other corrosive materials on their products. In addition, wireless charging is also integrated with auto-disconnect feature after full charge.

What about restrictions?

Although it is an extremely modern technology, wireless charging is still a very inefficient process. About half of the energy is lost during charging, either in the process of generating magnetic fields or in the process of sending energy from the coil to the receiving coil. This is also the reason why wireless charging cannot (or at least cannot be) fast with wired charging.

As mentioned above, the charging surface and charging device must be in contact with each other. This means that once you put the phone out of the charging surface, charging will be interrupted immediately. In addition, wireless charging technology is quite expensive at the present time, so if your phone is not built-in, you will have to pay a premise to buy support devices.

Charging surfaces and charging devices must be in contact with each other.

Whose technology is better?

Since both technologies basically have the same operating principle, it is difficult to assess whose technology is better. However, the Qi standard is something that attracts more attention. The Wireless Power Consortium development team has more than 200 member companies, and it is also the technology chosen by most phone manufacturers for their products. Besides wireless charging for phones, with a 5-watt power requirement, Qi is also being researched with a 120-watt charging standard for monitors and laptops.

However, we should not ignore AirFuel Alliance. They still focus on induction charging, but in 2014, they signed a contract with another joint venture wireless corporation called Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP). A4WP technology works through magnets, and both groups are actively gathering resources and applying for patents. Chances are, some exciting new technologies will appear in the near future.

Is my phone supported?

Built-in wireless charger is not really too popular, and mostly Qi standard . In September, Apple unveiled three new iPhones, and all three support Qi standard wireless charging. In general, the most popular devices at the moment have built-in wireless chargers including:

1. iPhone X
2. iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus
3. Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Note FE
4. Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, S8 Active
5. Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Active, S7 Edge (including AirFuel support)
6. Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Active, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus
7. BlackBerry Priv
8. Moto Z (with mod)

Most other devices - including older iPhone models - also support wireless charging, but you'll have to buy support accessories like a back cover. Since these accessories are not cheap, it is better to find products that have built-in wireless charging technology on the device.

1. How does wireless charging work?