While there still isn’t quite a single standard for wireless charging in mobile, Qi is one of the more popular options available. Today it was revealed that Qi is about to get much more useful thanks to an impending update to the standard.
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has revealed that Qi version 1.2 will feature resonance charging. This means that the device and the charging pad won’t have to be in direct contact with one another for charging to take place. Qi’s resonance charging will work with the device and pad up to 45mm / 1.77 inches apart, and even existing Qi phones and tablets will be able to take advantage of the new feature and get juice from up to 30mm away.
Additionally, Qi version 1.2 will be capable of charging more than one device at a single time, and it’ll even be able to pump out up to 2,000 watts of power to provide juice to things like kitchen appliances.
While other wireless charging standards already feature support for resonance charging, the WPC says that Qi’s execution is better. It explains that Qi’s resonance charging is more power efficient and also has more partners and product support than competing standards.
That all sounds pretty good, right? Perhaps the best news of all is that the first Qi version 1.2-compatible hardware is expected to launch later in 2014. While the addition of resonance charging alone isn’t likely to make Qi the king of the wireless charging hill, it’ll certainly help improve the standard’s odds at doing so.
Do you use wireless charging? If so, which phones or tablets do you use it with?
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