Somebody check up hell has frozen, because iPhones are getting USB-C ports while Android is officially getting MagSafe… sort of!
The WPC (Wireless Power Consortium), the body behind the Qi wireless charging standard, has unveiled a second revision that hopes to bring all the current major wireless standards under one umbrella. As per the WPC, Qi2 is expected to be introduced later this year, with Qi2 chargers and phones reportedly expected just in time for the 2023 Holiday shopping craze.
Though numbers aren’t mentioned, Qi2 also promises faster wireless charging “for some devices”, but also lays the groundworks for even faster Qi-certified wireless charging solutions in the future.
“Energy efficiency and sustainability are on everyone’s minds these days,” Paul Struhsaker also revealed. “Qi2’s perfect alignment improves energy efficiency by reducing the energy loss that can happen when the phone or the charger is not aligned. Just as important, Qi2 will greatly reduce the landfill waste associated with wired charger replacement due to plugs breaking and the stress placed on cords from daily connecting and disconnecting.”
The first iteration of the Qi inductive wireless standard was introduced back in 2008, and after a brief scuffle with Power Matter Alliance’s competing PMA standard, became the de facto go-to standard for wireless charging as it garnered better industry and consumer support, but probably the most important reason was Apple joining the WPC and backing up the Qi standard. The main differences with PMA were the wavelength that were utilized for the inductive charging (100-205kHz for Qi, 277-357kHz for PMA), otherwise the two solutions were pretty much similar in how they function.
