Wireless charging is not a new technology. We have toothbrushes that charge wirelessly and many other things that charge this way are not surprising.
Now that size, cost and efficiency restrictions have dropped to critical levels, adding wireless charging to your smartphone or smartwatch makes more and more sense.
People often wonder about wireless charging and how it works, so let's talk about the basics: what it is, how it works, and why you should have wireless charging in your next smartphone. Go!
What is wireless charging?
Wireless charging in smartphones is not magic, because you still need a wire to work. But the difference here is that the wire is connected to the charging base instead of your smartphone, so you can just put it on the charger and everything will work itself without connecting the wires directly to your smartphone or watch.
A wireless charging base can come in almost any shape or size. A good example would be wireless charging on your desk. When you're not using your phone, you place it on the wireless charging pad. When you need it, pick it up and it's already charged.
At the moment, wireless charging is not as fast as wired fast charging (read our big post about fast charging), but it is very easy to use. In this sense, it is beyond competition.
How does wireless charging work?
Let's try to explain this magic so that everyone can understand. Although there are many interesting technical issues to discuss and should be on specialized forums, we will try to explain simply and clearly.
Wireless charging uses two resonant inductive connections to transmit low power signals between two devices. They are specially designed to transmit electricity without touching each other like a normal wired connection does.
The wireless charging base station has a transmitter coil, and your phone has a receiver coil (above photo). The pad sends out a signal regularly, and when the receiver coil is close enough, a resonance occurs in the signal. The signal is then modulated and begins inductive charger.
Inductive charging (Qi) uses these two specially designed electromagnetic coils to create a magnetic field between two devices. There is a complex process that allows a magnetic field to generate electricity through potential differences and vibrations.
The coil on your Android smartphone is also connected to the battery charging circuit and your battery is charged using the energy caused by the magnetic field.
Inductive (Qi) charging creates excess heat, which is why wireless charging isn't the most efficient way to transfer power from an outlet to your battery.
This is also because it takes longer to charge your phone than when plugged into a wall outlet. While new methods and materials use higher frequencies and thinner coils than previous versions, wireless charging is still less efficient and more expensive than standard wired charging. This difference will remain for the foreseeable future.
Let's summarize:
- Your Qi-enabled smartphone and charger have special electrical coils.
- When two coils come close, they use electromagnetism to send a small amount of energy across the distance between them.
- This power passes through the charging circuit in your phone and charges the battery.
- This costs more and takes longer than plugging your phone into a wall outlet because it is less efficient.
Where is wireless charging?
Companies like AT&T and Starbucks provide wireless charging base stations in public places. If you have wireless charging on your smartphone, this becomes very convenient.
Many popular cars also have built-in wireless charging bases. However, recently this trend has declined. But things could change dramatically if the future one gets support for wireless charging.
Furniture from IKEA that supports wireless charging is also widely known.
Why do I need wireless charging in my next smartphone?
It's important to understand that any Qi wireless charger will work with any device that is Qi certified. This means that the charger you buy, whether it's a $100 Chinese unit from Ali or a brand like Samsung or Zens, will work with the device you have now and any devices you buy in the future .
Until you buy Qi chargers and put them in places where you're likely to put your phone, you won't really understand how convenient it is.
I have a Qi charger on my desk, on the table next to my living room chair, in my car, and on my nightstand. My Nexus 6 almost never had less than 50% charge. Not because the battery life on the Nexus 6 was great, or because Qi chargers work "better," but because when it wasn't in my hand, it was charging.
Of course, you need to buy charging bases, but they are quite cheap. About the same price as for a good power supply and USB cable. As more and more devices move towards the Qi standard, more devices will be able to use such chargers.
In 2017, only Samsung from the A-brands does not hesitate to use wireless charging in its flagships.
Wireless charging doesn't make your smartphone work differently, but it can radically change the comfort level of use. We just have to wait until all the major players in the smartphone market finally start installing support for Qi wireless charging.
Modern technologies, especially in the field of electronics, are developing very quickly.
What seemed like something fantastic just a few years ago is now becoming very real. The well-known furniture company IKEA has been selling furniture that has built-in panels for charging your phone for about a year now. Every day, wireless transmission of electricity becomes more real and easier to use. And more and more people want to have a wireless charger, as it can greatly facilitate the process of charging a smartphone.
What is the technology of transmitting electricity through the air?
At the moment, there are quite a large number of different ones that allow you to transmit electricity through the air. To perform this operation, a laser, a sound wave, as well as many other physical phenomena can be used. Despite such a wide variety of ways to transmit electricity through air, there is only one technology that is used commercially. This technology is based on the research of Tesla and Faraday, who worked towards transmitting electricity through the air through electromagnetic induction.
It is thanks to the improvement of their developments and ideas that wireless phone charging and many other devices that use electricity transmitted through the air can operate today.
As in any other area, airborne transmission has its own standards. The most widespread standard of this technology is the standard that has been developed by the Wireless Power Consortium for 7 years. The standard itself is usually called the Chinese word “Qi”, but if you try to pronounce it in English, it will sound something like “chee”; as for the Russian language, the most correct pronunciation will be “Qi”.
This standard is good because it is supported by almost all modern smartphone manufacturers, with the exception of rare cases. Already, many airports, restaurants, train stations and other similar establishments are equipped with special charging stations that allow everyone to charge their smartphone. This applies more to developed countries, however, as you know, modern technologies are rapidly conquering the whole world, and therefore such charging stations will soon be found even in the most remote corners of the planet.
New furniture from IKEA is a prime example of how this technology is being actively implemented. The furniture contains special panels that allow very fast charging through the technology of transmitting electricity through the air. Purchasing such furniture can make charging your phone a lot easier for everyone. Wireless charging qi is actively moving around the world, even Apple could not refuse it, which, as you know, always prefers to stand on the sidelines and offer its customers only a unique and unlike anything else product.
How does wireless charging work? Surely this question interests many people; it should be noted that the principle of its operation at first glance is quite simple and understandable. Charging according to the WPC standard implies the presence of special induction coils both in the smartphone itself and in the charging station. Each of these coils has its own role: one of them should act as a receiver, while the other is used as a transmitter of wireless electricity. If the charging station is connected to the network, a certain voltage will arise in it, and a magnetic field will appear within the range of the coil that transmits electricity. If a smartphone enters the magnetic field thus formed, it receives the energy it needs from it by converting electromagnetic waves in its receiver coil into electricity.
Thanks to wireless charging, there is no need to connect a special cable to your smartphone
The WPC standard allows a distance between the wireless charger and the smartphone itself to be no more than 3-5 cm. Thus, we can say that you should place the phone on the charger, in which case the efficiency of such charging will be 75-80%, which is slightly less than the efficiency wired charging. Therefore, if you need, for example, good wireless charging for your iPhone, be prepared for the fact that you will always have to put your smartphone in a special place where it can be recharged fairly quickly.
Advantages and disadvantages of wireless charging
For the average user, the only and most important advantage of using a wireless phone charger is that there is no need to attach a special cable to the smartphone. Despite the fact that this type of charging a mobile device is called wireless, in any case you cannot get rid of the wire, since the charger itself is connected to an outlet.
As for the disadvantages, you need to remember that such chargers usually cost more than cable ones, and charging a smartphone with them takes about 2-3 times longer. However, as a new and interesting technology, as well as a solution in some unusual cases (for example, car wireless charging), this method of charging a smartphone can be a very interesting and practical solution.
Charging a smartphone using wireless charging takes about 2-3 times longer
Is wireless charging harmful to your health?
Every time a new technology appears, more and more people become interested in how harmful it is to health. It should be noted that there are a huge number of myths around new technologies; even in our time, there are many people who believe that mobile phones can cause enormous harm, and the computer actually kills 10 people every day. In fact, these are myths that have no basis in reality. And this can be proven from the point of view of elementary logic, since if this were really so, no one would have lived on our planet for a long time, probably. And since there are more and more people every day, and they use electronics more and more often in their daily lives, its harm is clearly exaggerated.
However, every electronic device affects our body to one degree or another, and this also applies to a wireless charger. Let's try to figure out how strong this influence can be.
Wireless charging will not harm your health in any way
It should be noted that most smartphone manufacturers say that the WPC standard does not pose any health hazard. The developer of the standard, the Wireless Power Consortium, says approximately the same thing. They are actively joined by manufacturers of electric toothbrushes and electric shavers, who use similar charging principles in their devices.
Such opinions look very convincing, let's try to speculate on this topic. Electromagnetic waves, which are actively used in the wireless charging device, are in the spectrum of non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation has a much lower wave frequency than, for example, dangerous x-rays. Non-ionizing radiation is generally considered completely safe and is used in many modern devices. This radiation is used to transmit a Wi-Fi signal; it is also used for mobile communications and in many other cases. Thus, a huge number of waves of this spectrum pass through a person every day, even if he does not use electronic devices. Moreover, they almost always passed through a person, since the Sun emits a fairly large number of just such waves every day.
That is why clear evidence of harm to health from WPC has not yet been found, and, as practice shows, if a person starts using a wireless charger, he does not faint the next day, and his health does not deteriorate over time. Therefore, you can safely start using such devices; wireless charging for iPhone 6 will not harm your health in any way.
Modern devices that support Qi wireless charging
As mentioned above, almost all modern smartphones support the WPC standard. This standard is also supported by some other devices. If you want to know the details and specifics on this issue, you can always find a list of all devices that support this standard on the official website of the Wireless Power Consortium company.
Do not forget: in order to wirelessly charge a device, you must have both an energy receiver (the device itself supports the WPC standard) and an energy transmitter. Most modern phones already have special charging modules, which are energy receivers, therefore, the only thing that is required from the user of such a device is to select a high-quality wireless panel, which is the energy transmitter into the device.
Almost all modern smartphones support the WPC standard
In the event that a particular phone or other wearable device does not support the WPC standard, then this can be dealt with very easily. The simplest solution in this case may be to purchase a special attachment or case that contains a charging module. This charging module can be connected to any phone using a regular charging connector. For example, this may be necessary if you are interested in wireless charging for an iPhone or for some other device that does not support the WPC standard.
The most popular wireless chargers
At the moment, there are quite a large number of wireless chargers manufactured by various companies. Let's take a quick look at which chargers are currently most popular among owners of smartphones and other wearable devices.
Samsung Wireless Charging Pad charges your smartphone almost regardless of its position on the panel itself
One of the latest inventions from Samsung. This almost universal wireless charger has gained popularity due to the fact that it charges the smartphone almost regardless of its position on the panel itself. It should be noted that this device is capable of supporting not only the WPC standard, but also some other, less popular wireless charging standards, such as AW4P and PMA. Thus, even if your particular phone does not support the WPC standard, this charger is still capable of charging it, and without any additional modules or anything else.
This charger is a very good solution in a number of cases; the average cost of such a device is approximately $50.
Judging by the reviews on Amazon, this is the best wireless charger that has a number of advantages and at the same time has a very low price. One of the features of this device is the included USB cable, which allows you to connect the charger to your laptop. The average cost of this charger is approximately 10-15 dollars. At the same time, the model is very reliable and can serve for quite a long time. Smartphones with wireless charging that use this device for charging will charge fairly quickly and will not experience any problems.
PowerBot is the best wireless charger that has a number of advantages and at the same time has a very low price
So far, smartphones and other Apple devices do not support many wireless technologies. Therefore, in order for wireless charging for iPhone 5s to be possible, it is necessary to use all kinds of additional devices, such as cases and various connectors. One of the most interesting solutions in this case may be an iQi receiver card, which can be hidden under any regular smartphone case.
This solution allows you to fully cope with the problem of lack of support for wireless charging in Apple equipment. Such a card is quite inexpensive, usually its price is about $35, but it demonstrates very good, long-lasting and reliable performance. Therefore, if you are the owner of Apple equipment, such a card can be very useful to you.
Nokia DT-910 allows you to charge smartphones very quickly
This wireless charger is quite popular. It has a very affordable price, while allowing you to charge smartphones very quickly. In addition to all its advantages, Nokia wireless charging also has a number of additional functions that make its work even better and higher quality. Therefore, this option (taking into account all its strengths) can be more useful than ever in a number of cases.
Whether or not to use a wireless charger is, of course, up to you. Some believe that this should be done, since this type of smartphone charging is more convenient, and in general, this is the future. This opinion is quite reasonable, since according to all forecasts, powerful wireless charging stations should appear in the near future, which are capable of charging not only a smartphone, but also almost all other devices in the house, without the need to put this or that device on a special panel, since the charging itself will charge everything within a certain, rather large radius.
If such technologies appear in the near future, then many modern wireless chargers, such as wireless charging for the Note 4, could very quickly become a thing of the past, as a much more universal solution will appear.
iQi Wireless Charging Receiver demonstrate very good, long and reliable performance
It should also be noted that the technology of wireless electricity itself is not as complicated as it might seem. That is why many people can do wireless charging with their own hands, since it is very interesting to do something like this yourself. And, as practice shows, many people really succeed in this, which allows them not to spend money on buying wireless chargers at all, but to make everything completely on their own.
Wireless charging basics was last modified: April 29th, 2016 by Ekaterina
There are several technologies for transmitting electricity through the air, including using lasers, sound waves, and other interesting methods. But so far only one can be called commercial - the use of electromagnetic induction, through which Faraday and Tesla tried to transmit energy. The most common inductive charging standard today has been developed by the Wireless Power Consortium for about seven years. This standard is called the Chinese word Qi - pronounced “chee” in English or “qi” in the Russian translation tradition. It is officially supported by almost all mobile phone manufacturers, from Samsung, Sony, Lumia phones, to small companies whose names mean nothing to anyone. Some American airports, British McDonald's and Starbucks are promised to be equipped with charging stations that meet this standard within a year, and this, as it becomes clear, is just the beginning of the list. This also includes new IKEA furniture and lamps with built-in charging panels - they will begin to be sold in Europe this month. Even Apple, which, as always, stands a little on the sidelines and does not officially support Qi, seems to still adhere to WPC principles in its watches.
How it works
Wireless charging using WPC technology involves the presence of induction coils in the phone and the charger: one acts as a receiver, the other as a transmitter of electricity. When the charger is connected to the mains, a voltage arises in it, and a magnetic field arises around its transmitter coil. When a phone enters this field, electromagnetic waves in its receiver coil are converted into electricity - the phone's battery begins to charge. The Qi standard implies that for complete energy transfer, the distance between devices should not exceed 3–5 centimeters. That is, they should practically touch each other. Therefore, most of the current induction chargers are small panels on which you need to place the phone. At the same time, their efficiency is about 75–80% - slightly less than that of wired chargers.
What are the pros and cons
If we talk about the average user, inductive charging has only one significant advantage. It eliminates the need to connect a cable to your phone (player, camera, watch and other small devices). And although it is called wireless, it does not actually remove the wire, since it is needed to connect the charging panel to the outlet. These panels also have other disadvantages: they are a little more expensive and on average charge one and a half to two times slower.
Is wireless charging dangerous?
This is probably the most popular question asked by the Wireless Power Consortium, and mobile manufacturers, of course, answer that it is safe. Manufacturers of electric shavers and electric toothbrushes are trying to convince everyone of this - the same induction principle has been used for a long time to recharge them. But it is worth keeping in mind that the electromagnetic waves through which wireless panels transmit energy belong to the spectrum of so-called non-ionizing (and therefore safe, unlike, say, X-ray) radiation. Electromagnetic waves of the same spectrum are used to transmit signals from radio stations, cell towers, and Wi-Fi routers. For example, a mobile phone signal is transmitted constantly and over much longer distances, but for its receiver to operate, only a small amount of power is required (within 1–2 watts). The maximum power of wireless panels of the Qi standard is significantly higher - 5 watts. But they (for now) work at extremely short distances, and they also turn off automatically (which means they stop emitting waves) if the device is charged.
In any case, no one has yet presented convincing evidence that Qi wireless charging (like a cellular signal) can threaten health. However, the Wireless Power Consortium is also working on more powerful wireless chargers (up to 120 watts) capable of charging laptops. But they are still being cautious with these devices, and no one seems to be releasing them.
Which devices support Qi wireless charging?
You can find out about this by searching on the WPC website. It is worth remembering that to carry out wireless charging you will need two things: a receiver and an energy transmitter. Some phones (and wearable devices) already have built-in charging modules, also known as receivers; all that remains to do with them is to select a wireless panel, also known as a transmitter. Other phones - all iPhones, for example - do not yet support this technology. In addition to the panel, you will also have to buy a special case or attachment with a charging module that connects to the smartphone via the usual charging connector.
Examples of wireless chargers
Samsung Wireless Charging Pad
PowerBot
Bestseller and, judging by reviews, the best wireless panel on Amazon. Compatible with Qi standard receivers. It comes with a micro-USB cable (which means it can be connected to a laptop or portable battery). Quite reliable and inexpensive model.
Perhaps the most exciting promise of recent years is a breadbox-sized transmitter that allows you to charge phones, smartwatches and bracelets, remote controls or gamepads at a distance of up to 10 meters. This is already a largely wireless technology, freeing you from fiddling with the charger. It doesn’t matter whether the phone is on the table or in your pocket: as soon as it is discharged and is within range of the transmitter, it will begin to charge it. However, the device being charged must be equipped with a special Cota receiver. The developers promise to begin delivering these receivers to device manufacturers at the end of the year.
iQi Wireless Charging Receiver
Finally, an example of how things are going with wireless charging of Apple phones. Since iPhones do not yet support the technology, crutches come to the rescue in the form of cases, attachments and other accessories. For example, Duracell cases for $120, which Apple itself recommends in its store. But the most amazing device for the same purpose is the iQi receiver card, which is connected via the Lightning connector and hidden under a regular phone case. The project, which successfully raised funds on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, can now be found on Amazon (although it’s probably better to try to wait for the seventh or eighth iPhone: one or the other, according to rumors, will have its own built-in receiver for wireless charging).
Wireless charging technology already existed several years before the release of the first mobile devices with its support, but it was with the release of Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 that this technology began to become widespread.
More and more smartphones are receiving wireless charging technology, especially flagship models. All you need to charge such devices is to place them with the back cover on a special panel. No wires needed. There is no need to press any buttons. Charging starts and ends automatically.
Why do you need wireless charging?
In addition to the fact that wireless charging is convenient in itself, its use allows you to extend the life of the power connector. In addition, such a device may be the only normal way to charge a smartphone if its connector is already broken. One of the disadvantages of the technology is a slightly longer charging process.
How does wireless charging work?
The principle of this technology is based on the action of a magnetic field. The smartphone acts as a receiver of this field, and the wireless charging itself - the panel where the device is placed - acts as a transmitter. The transmitter and receiver are a so-called magnetic coil. The diagram below demonstrates the basic method of transmitting electricity through a magnetic field.
The magnetic field is generated by the transmitter coil located on the charging panel, and the receiver coil located in the smartphone receives it, converts it into electricity and thus charges the battery.
How to properly charge your smartphone using wireless charging?
Typically, wireless charging is not included with mobile devices; it must be purchased separately. Therefore, first of all, when purchasing such a charger, you need to make sure that it is suitable for a specific model. All modern smartphones with wireless charging function use the international Qi standard, which means the charger you buy must also be labeled accordingly.
It is important to position your smartphone correctly during wireless charging. It must be placed on the panel as indicated in the device instructions. There should be no foreign objects between the cover and the smartphone battery. Moreover, if your smartphone has an additional removable panel installed, you do not need to remove it for wireless charging: the induction range is 1 centimeter.
Only one device can be charged per wireless charging pad. To charge two or more models, there are special panels with two built-in magnetic field transmitters.
There is a rumor that you cannot use your smartphone while wireless charging. This is wrong. In this case, there are no restrictions on the use of mobile phones.
How do you know if your smartphone supports wireless charging?
Very simple. Firstly, support for such a function is stated in the instructions for the device. Another way to check whether a smartphone supports air charging is to look at the inside of its cover: if the cover has several contacts in the area where the battery is located, then this technology is supported. This is what these contacts look like on the cover of the Lumia 820:
Telecoil cover next to the regular Lumia 820 cover:
Your iPhone doesn't support wireless charging, but would you like it to have this feature? No problem. You can now add wireless charging to absolutely any mobile device with a microUSB connector (as well as iPhones and Samsungs with their universal connectors). In this case, in addition to purchasing the wireless charging panel itself, you need to buy a wireless coil receiver:
The receiver is placed under the cover of the device and connected to the power port. In online stores it is sold for 300 - 500 rubles, depending on the power. The higher the power, the faster the charging will be.
The aesthetics of the smartphone in the case of such an upgrade, as can be seen in the photo, will suffer in a certain way, but those who know how to use a soldering iron, instead of directly connecting the receiver to the microUSB port, can solder the receiver directly to the inside of the device. Instructions on how to add wireless charging to your smartphone can be found on the Internet.
A contactless charger is a dream for every smartphone owner. Modern phones need to be charged regularly. You constantly have to connect them using a wire to the adapter. However, now you can choose wireless charging and forget about all the difficulties. Wireless phone charging is no longer a dream, but a common device used by millions of users.
For many decades, people have dreamed of the possibility of transmitting energy over a distance. This can often be found in fantasy novels of the 20th century. And then it happened. Chargers have come into use that charge consumer batteries from a distance. True, the distances are still very small, only a few centimeters, but this is already a confident step forward. And not theoretical, but practical.
At the moment, wireless contactless chargers for smartphones (BZU) are the most widely used. Just put your smartphone on the charger and it will start charging. No wires are needed from wireless charging to your smartphone. Everything works on the law of mutual induction. The phone rang, you calmly pick it up without fear of getting tangled in the wires, without fear of damaging the connector contacts, and you are also not strictly tied to your workplace.
So, at the moment, wireless chargers are no longer a myth. These are adapters that anyone can purchase. You can place the charger on a table by your bed at home or in a car on the dashboard.
But it is worth noting that not all phones and smartphones produced by various manufacturers are capable of charging from wireless chargers. Phones that support wireless charging have only recently begun to appear. You can find out which phones support wireless charging from the mobile phone store manager. But if your phone does not support this function, then I will describe below how to upgrade your phone or smartphone for these types of charges.
Principle of operation
The principle of operation of a wireless charger is based on the laws discovered by scientists Tesla and Faraday. These are the so-called phenomena of induction and mutual induction. Remember school physics. If current flows through a conductor, a magnetic field appears around the conductor. If another conductor is introduced into a magnetic field, then an EMF (Electromotive Force) is induced in it.
All transformers operate on this principle. If alternating current is applied to the primary winding of a transformer, a current is generated on the secondary winding, the magnitude of which will depend on the number of turns in the secondary winding. Wireless charging works on the same principle. And I will try to explain how wireless phone charging works. The source of electromagnetic radiation is the induction coil, which is located in the charger (acts as the primary winding of the transformer). Looks like a stand, charging cup or something similar. Connects to the mains directly or via an adapter. The device being charged also has its own coil (similar to the secondary winding of a transformer). If both coils are located at a sufficiently close distance from each other, then an alternating current is induced in the second coil, then it is rectified into a direct current and charges the gadget’s battery through the charge controller.
Any contactless charging for a phone or other device works on this principle, be it in a home or car. Most often we come across devices of the QI standard.
Wireless charger standards
Qi
The most common wireless charging standard is Qi. This standard was developed by the Wireless Power Consortium, abbreviated WPC, and is supported by many manufacturers such as Samsung, Nokia, LG and others. The Qi standard is read as Qi, which in Chinese is equivalent to the word “life.”
The operating principle is based on the law of mutual induction, as described above. The operating frequency of the BZU is 100-205 kHz. Efficiency 75-80%.
P.M.A.
Another popular standard is called PMA. Its principle also includes the law of electromagnetic induction. This standard was developed by Powermat in 2012. It is not as popular as Qi, but it also has its advantages.
The company focused its main efforts on developing a better electromagnetic field transmitter. And the operating frequency of the charger is 277-357 kHz.
This standard is mainly used in the USA. But still, the PMA standard is quite inferior to Qi.
Rezence (A4WP)
The operating principle of the Rezence standard is based on the law of magnetic resonance. This allows you to increase the transmitted power to 50 W, which is enough to charge more powerful devices, and even several devices at the same time. You can also increase the distance from charging to the gadget being charged.
But so far this standard is more theoretical and does not receive widespread support.
Where are wireless chargers used?
Since the invention of wireless charging, it immediately began to be implemented by all kinds of manufacturers to charge the batteries of various devices.
Toothbrush manufacturers were among the first to introduce wireless charging. The fact is that toothbrushes come into direct contact with water. This is where the invention of the BZU came in handy. After all, these devices do not have bare contacts. The toothbrush and charger have a good seal.
Apple Corporation is also keeping up with progress. They have introduced wireless charging for their Apple Watch.
But the most popular are wireless chargers for smartphones. What a convenience. Just put your smartphone on the charger and the charging process begins. No wires. The majority of smartphones with such chargers were released by Samsung. Nokia also released smartphones with such chargers. In 2017, Apple released the iPhone 8 iPhone X, which can also be charged from a charger.
Often such devices are installed in public places. In cafes and restaurants, people are used to working using smartphones, communicating or having fun. The Internet takes up quite a lot of battery power.
To attract visitors and ensure that guests stay as long as possible in these establishments, the owners offer free Wi-Fi, but also, of course, contactless chargers for smartphones, which are built right into the establishment’s tables.
Many manufacturers also produce wireless car chargers for phones. The principle of wireless charging is very simple. The wire from this charger is inserted into the cigarette lighter socket, the charger itself is installed in a convenient place, taking into account that the phone will not fall off it while driving.
Benefits of wireless charging
There are many advantages to being able to charge your phone using a contactless method. First of all, the main problem is solved, namely the adapters. Now there will be one universal panel for all devices at once. The wires will not wear out and the sockets on the mobile phone will not break too quickly. This is also especially important for a charging iPhone, because repairing it is expensive.
When choosing a specific adapter, you can’t help but think about the advantages of contactless:
- Convenience. Can be used anywhere.
- It is possible to charge several phones at once.
- Over time, there are more and more devices that support this function.
- A minimum of electricity is wasted, although the efficiency of this charging is about 80%.
- Samsung and some other companies plan to offer a similar adapter with the phone.
- Durability. The charger can last for many years.
Manufacturers
Many companies have taken up the issue of creating and developing contactless chargers for phones. Each of them is focused on specific features and is ready to satisfy the specific wishes of users. First of all, you need to consider chargers from smartphone manufacturers that have wireless charging enabled.
How to improve your smartphone yourself
As I wrote above, not all smartphones can work with contactless chargers. There is no receiving part inside these smartphones. But this is not a sentence. Today, in addition to wireless chargers, there are also separate receiving devices on the market.
They look like a sheet of cardboard the size of a matchbox. Inside this plate there is a receiving coil. The receiving part is of two types. The first option is that the receiving part is placed under the battery compartment cover of the smartphone and is connected directly to the battery.
The second option is that the receiving part is connected to the input connector and covered with a smartphone case.
Yes, there is another option. Smartphone cases are available with a built-in receiving part.
How to choose
Experts advise that before deciding which contactless phone charger to choose, decide whether the gadget supports this technology. Apple is specifically categorically against this practice, because they are focused on using original contactless adapters. However, Samsung and many other manufacturers do not need such careful selection. Many gadgets accept modern phone chargers from different manufacturers.
Be sure to watch the video review of wireless chargers
