iPhone’s unique wireless charging system comes to Android phones this year

Despite the convenience of wireless charging, one of the problems this technology hides is the number of standards in the world. Each brand also has its own. One of the most efficient is MagSafe, which is exclusive to iPhone. Although this year may go to the side of Android.

The MagSafe charging system consists of an external battery that attaches magnetically to the back of your device and has a capacity of up to Power 15W. Fast wireless charging that, unlike others, guarantees a stable connection.

The Wireless Power Consortium (or WPC) has announced a new charging standardQi2, which will allow new Android smartphones to have external batteries similar to those used by the iPhone.

The body wants to put an end to the upload acronym which abounds in this field. Since the only thing that is achieved with these variants is to alienate the consumer for fear of making a mistake in the purchase.

“Consumers and retailers have told us they are confused about which devices are Qi-certified and which devices claim to be Qi-enabled but aren’t. This confusion can lead to a bad user experience and even security issues,” explains WPC CEO Paul Struhsaker.

The Qi2 standard would replace its predecessor (Qi), in a rapidly expanding market where approximately one billion devices (transmitters and receivers) will be sold worldwide by 2023.

Beyond the improvements promised in this new version, its launch will be more important than ever, as it will expand the market to a wide range of devices.

The body assures that the new standard will have “greater efficiency and interoperability”, permitting recharge faster for some devices.

MagSafe technology is an evolution of Qi with an array of magnets. Apple, which has been trying to maintain control over that option, has decided to release it. As a member of the WPC, he is leading the development of the new Qi standard, which will be called Qi2 and which will adapt many of the virtues of MagSafe technology to open it up to all devices.

Looking for a standard

Both Apple and Samsung are already working on devices compatible with the new standard, though the standard’s specifications need to be finalized first, which will happen mid-year. Expected also the arrival of the adhesive batteries.

The first version will try to adapt Apple technology and broaden its spectrum. Qi2 will continue to focus on mobile devices and will likely limit the charging power to 15W. But as soon as the specs are released, work will begin on the next version, which aims to offer significantly higher charging power.

However, the Qi2 will not have the same model of magnets which is used in Apple-certified MagSafe connectors, so it’s unclear whether future Qi2 chargers will be compatible with current MagSafe-enabled iPhones.

There will also be a certification mechanism to ensure a good user experience, but this could also cause some chargers to refuse to work with certain devices.

SL