Qi wireless charging specifications have been around since 2008, but standard contenders didn't start gaining traction until 2015. It's proven to be a great alternative to plugging into your phone, but it has some weaknesses, including charging speed. The upcoming new version of the specification should solve the toughest problems.
On Wednesday, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) released Qiv2.0 (Qi2). The new specification aims to become the de facto global standard in wireless charging.
The first Qi2 products will be available starting this holiday season. In fact, there is already a Qi2 product on the market, that is iPhone15. However, there aren't any power transmitters that work with it yet (except Apple's MagSafe). Manufacturers including Belkin, Mophie, Anker and Aircharge already have more than 100 products in certification testing or queued for certification.
Fady Mishriki, Chairman of the WPC Board of Directors, said: "We are very pleased to see our members quickly adopt Qiv2.0 and build an ecosystem of accessories for Qi2 devices. We fully expect to see Qiv2.0 quickly become the de facto global wireless charging standard."
The reason why iPhone 15 has a head start on this standard is because Apple helped improve the standard. When the first Qi (pronounced "chee") devices started showing up (around 2015), many of them had problems. If the induction coils aren't nearly perfectly aligned, it can cause charging to fail or slow down significantly, making things a bit troublesome for devices like desktop and nightstand chargers.
Apple saw this weakness and designed a new MagSafe technology, borrowing its name and concept from the old, defunct MagSafe magnetic cables used in laptops. The MagSafe charger uses magnets to attach your phone to the coil, eliminating the worry of misalignment.
For Qi2, WPC developed the Magnetic Power Profile, which is based on MagSafe and developed with the help of Apple engineers. It also enhances the existing ExtendedPowerProfile used by the previous generation Qi. Upcoming Qi2-branded devices will use the existing Qi logo.
In addition to being easier to align and potentially even offering a wall-mounted charger, Qi2 devices will also support 15W charging, double the old standard. This improvement complies with Apple's current MagSafe limitations. As long as both devices are Qi2 certified, users can feel confident using 15W charging.
Paul Struhsaker, executive director of WPC, said: "These certified Qi2 chargers charge more smoothly, faster, more energy-efficiently, and offer broad interoperability. In addition, Qi2's magnetic connection means consumers no longer have to struggle to adjust the position of their device to ensure perfect alignment between phone and charger."
Analysts expect the wireless charging market to expand to more than 1 billion transmitters and receivers by 2024. While existing proprietary technologies are faster, the new Qi2 standard with its platform-agnostic design is well positioned to take the lead in wireless charging.
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