What is Wireless Charging and How Does Wireless Charging Work?

Technological advances over the last twenty years have led to great innovations in terms of the way that consumers charge and power their devices. Batteries for phones used to be large and bulky, and carrying multiple batteries on hand was not only expensive because of the cost of said batteries, but also cumbersome because of their size. In this article I’d like to answer two questions. The first: What is wireless charging? And the second: How does wireless charging work?

As phones and other devices have started to become more uniform in size and shape, and power requirements have become more normalized, its been easier for companies to prioritize and pioneer different forms of charging. Charging bricks and power cables for things like phones and laptops used to be large and take up lots of space, but recently wireless charging, a form of charging devices without the need for cumbersome power banks and cords, has become extremely popular.

Table of Contents

1. What is Wireless Charging?
2. How Does Wireless Charging Work?
3. Types of Wireless Charging:
4. What Devices Can Use Wireless Charging?
5. Upsides of Wireless Charging
6. Downsides of Wireless Charging:
7. Final Thoughts:

What is Wireless Charging?

Wireless charging is also known as inductive charging, and it uses electromagnetism to charge devices by creating electromagnetic waves that transfer energy between objects. The biggest difference from traditional charging with a cord or cords is the fact that wireless charging doesn’t require the device to connect physically or directly to the source providing the charge. Wireless charging is becoming extremely popular with consumers due to the fact that it creates less clutter and lessens the risk of damaging the charging ports on expensive items like phones and smartwatches because those ports aren’t being used.

How Does Wireless Charging Work?

There are two important components to wireless charging, a wireless charging pad or charging dock, and a device that receives a signal. The charging device, whether that be a pad or a dock, has a coil of copper wire inside of it, and the charging device is connected to a power source. When the charging device is connected to power, an electric current flows through its coil and creates an electromagnetic field.

The receiver on the other end also contains a coil of copper wire inside of it that generates an electromagnetic field after coming in contact with power from a power source. The electromagnetic fields generated by the two coils are then able to transfer energy back and forth and charge the battery of the device, or devices placed upon the charging pad or dock.

Types of Wireless Charging:

There are two main kinds of wireless charging. Qi wireless charging, and Powermat wireless charging. Qi wireless charging is the most commonly used type of wireless charging and is considered to be the industry standard. Qi wireless charging typically uses a dock to charge devices. Powermat wireless charging, as the name suggests, uses a mat to charge devices.

And in comparison to the Qi wireless charging that uses a single coil to generate an electromagnetic field, Powermat wireless chargers use multiple, smaller coils to create a field.

What Devices Can Use Wireless Charging?

Wireless charging is becoming more and more widespread, and there are a wide variety of devices that support it including:

Smartphones: The iPhone 12, 13, and 14. Samsung Galaxy S21, S22, and S22, and latest Google Pixel phones support wireless charging.

Smartwatches: The Apple Watch, and Samsung Galaxy Watch support wireless charging.

Earbuds: A wide variety of wireless earbuds including the Apple AirPods and Samsung Galaxy Buds support wireless charging.

Upsides of Wireless Charging

Wireless charging has a number of benefits, including:

The convenience of not having cables everywhere, cluttering up your space, and needing to find or keep a charging brick of two on hand at all times.

Less wear and tear. When you don’t have to interact with a device’s charging ports the device can potentially last longer because less damage is being done to it, so its lifespan can be extended.

You can charge more things at once. Personally speaking, I have a smartphone, a smartwatch, a tablet, multiple controllers, a mouse, a keyboard, and other devices that need to be charged regularly. I also only have so many power bricks and so many USB slots to be able to plug cables in to charge my devices. Wireless charging with a powermat allows me to remove some of the clutter from my space and also charge more things at once.

Downsides of Wireless Charging:

Wireless charging can be slower than conventional charging methods such as quick charging, fast charging, or lightning charging.

Wireless charging can generate a lot of heat and potentially shorten a device’s lifespan or cause a battery to explode.

Wireless charging requires the devices being charged to be placed in specific locations on the powermat or dock, otherwise the charge won’t happen. It is entirely possible to miss the sweet spot when charging your phone overnight and wake up to a nearly empty phone battery.

Final Thoughts:

Wireless charging is an exciting new technology that’s on the market and a great way to make your life easier as a tech enthusiast. Tech junkies like myself have lots of devices and they all need to be charged regularly if we’re going to use them. And while it seems fun to have a bunch of new tech to play with, charging can be cumbersome when you have four or more different devices charging at once, or when charging cables start to get tangled and or cause you to trip on them. Wireless charging offers a wonderful solution to that problem that’s simple and easy to use.