An update to the Qi wireless charging standard has been announced, complete with a MagSafe magnet ring. Here's why this is a big deal for both the accessory market and Apple's future iPhone designs.
Apple has provided MagSafe as the basis for the upcoming wireless charging standard Qi2, making it universal across platforms.
The introduction of MagSafe in the iPhone 12 range has cemented wireless charging as a core technology for smartphones, but not everyone knows how the technology works. Here's what you need to know about wireless charging systems and how Apple uses them.
Wireless charging system producer Powermat has joined the Wireless Power Consortium, backers of the Qi charging standard rivaling the company's own technology, a move that is likely to make Qi-based wireless charging more dominant in the future.
At launch, the iPhone 8 will recharge via inductive wireless technology at a rate comparable to the standard 5-watt charger that ships with the handset. But Apple plans to improve that speed with a future software update.
Rather than cook up its own unique version of wireless charging, Apple has instead decided to utilize the established Qi wireless charging method — an open standard run by the Wireless Power Consortium, which welcomed the news on Tuesday.
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Malcolm Owen
Wesley Hilliard
Neil Hughes
