We get more than a few questions about wireless charging and how it works, so let's take a few minutes and talk about the basics — what it is, how it works and why you would want it in your next Android purchase.
What is wireless charging?
Wireless charging isn't magic — you still need a wire. the difference is that the wire is connected to a charging base instead of your phone, so you can just drop your Android onto the charger and things get to work without hooking anything up to your phone. The charging base can be almost any shape or size, and can even be in something like your car dash or the base of a lamp from IKEA. As long as you're able to get the right spot on the rear of your Android on the right spot on the base of the charger, it will work.
How does wireless charging work?
Let's try to explain the magic for the non-EE (that's electrical engineering) people in the room. While there are plenty of cool technical things to discuss, and we totally should discuss them in the forums, we'll try to keep things basic here.
Wireless charging uses two resonant inductive couplings to transmit low-power signals between two devices. The base station has a transmitter coil and your phone has a receiver coil. The base station regularly sends a signal out, and when a resonance or capacity change is found because a compatible receiver coil is close enough, the signal is modulated and inductive charging begins.
Inductive charging is using two electromagnetic coils to create a magnetic field between two devices — in this case the coils in the charger base and your Android. This is the same theory that the transformer you plug into the wall to charge your phone the normal way uses. A magnetic field "creates" electricity through the difference of potential and vibration.
The coil in your Android is also connected to the battery charging circuit, and your battery is charged using the energy induced in the magnetic field. Of course, excess heat is created as well, and that's part of why wireless charging isn't the most efficient way to transfer power from the wall to your battery. This is why it takes longer to charge your phone on a Qi pad than it does to plug it into the wall. While new methods and materials use higher frequencies and thinner coils than past iterations, wireless charging is still less efficient and more costly than standard charging over a wire.
To simplify:
- Your Android and the charger have coils in them.
- When the two coils get close enough, they use magnetism and vibration to send a small amount of power across the gap between them.
- This power goes through the charging circuit in your phone and charges the battery.
- It costs more and takes longer to charge than it would if you plugged your phone in, but it's far more convenient.
A word about Powermat
Qi is not the only wireless charging standard. The people at Powermat also build wireless charging solutions, and use the same basic inductive charging and power transfer, though with a different set of standards. They have partnered with people like AT&T and Starbucks to provide base stations in public places, and using a special case or charging block attached to your phone lets you wirelessly charge. They are also partnered with General Motors, and are working to bring built-in wireless charging bases in vehicles.
While the same basic electrical theory applies to both Powermat and Qi, the different standards means they are not compatible. Your Qi-enabled phone won't charge on a Powermat base because the signals sent and received are different. If you have Powermat equipment, you'll need to be sure you're buying more Powermat equipment to get everything working.
The one exception to this, of course, is the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, which include both Qi and Powermat standards.
Why do I want wireless charging in my next phone?
Now that we have a good standard — we're talking the Qi standard here — we have to remember than any Qi charger will work with any device that is Qi-certified. That means the charger you buy, whether it's a $6 Chinese unbranded unit from Amazon or a name-brand like Samsung or Zens, will work with the device you have now and any devices you buy in the future.
Couple this with the convenience factor — and until you've bought a couple Qi chargers and put them in the places you're likely to set your phone you don't really understand how convenient it is. I have a Qi charger at my desk, on the table beside my recliner in the living room, one in my car and one on my nightstand. My Nexus 6 never has less than 50-percent charge. Not because the battery life on the Nexus 6 is great, or because Qi chargers work "better", but because whenever it's not in my hand it is charging.
Of course, there's the initial cost of buying the charging bases, but they are pretty cheap — about the same cost as a good wall wart and USB cable. As more and more handheld devices and smartphones move towards the Qi standard, more and more devices will be able to take advantage of the chargers.
Finally, wireless charging doesn't have to replace removable batteries for those that want or need them. Think of it as a supplement to stretch out the time between battery swaps.
I have a feeling that before too long, every Android phone will be Qi compatible. I'll be ready, and I think you should be, too.
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