There were many rumors flying around about the iPhone 13 removing the charging port and relying completely on wireless charging. These rumors have been denied by many Apple analysts and it appears that the charging port will remain, for now.
Many people, myself included have never used wireless charging so I wanted to dig deeper into it and find out what the pros and cons are in the event there comes a time when it will be required.
Let’s start out with looking at how wireless charging works. Wireless chargers typically are a small pad or a small case like holder the device can slot into. While wireless would make it seem there are no wires involved at all, this is not the case. The wireless simply means that there is no wire being plugged into your phone. The pad will still need to be plugged into an energy source to provide charge to the phone. So while it is not totally wireless, it does allow for easier movement of the phone itself while eliminating the clutter of another wire.
The wireless charging works by utilizing inductive charging. Inductive charging functions by creating power that is passed through an electrical current to create an electromagnetic field that then charges the device. Many phones have the ability to wireless charge straight from the manufacturer, but some require a case that will allow for a receiver to pass the energy.
If you are in the market for a wireless charger, you will most likely come across the term “Qi”, pronounced “chee”. QI is the standard of wireless charging that has been adopted by Samsung, Apple, Sony, LG and many more. QI has made itself the go to in wireless charging and is now even available in some vehicles.
The main question is why? Why do we need wireless charging and what can it do that standard wired charging cannot? The biggest reason is that it is safer than plugging something into your phone and means it is less likely to break anything in the phone, or the charger breaking off in the charging port. The convenience of just dropping your phone on a charging pad and picking it up, or answering a call without the need to remove the charger and getting caught in the wire. Charging pads are becoming more and more popular and are even being installed in some public spaces allowing for greater convenience of charging your device without carrying around a charger.
It cannot be that much better or we would have transferred to that by now, so what are the disadvantages of wireless charging? The main drawback for wireless charging is that the charging speed is slower than traditional charging. Many manufacturers have created quick charging for their devices allowing much quicker charging speed when the device is plugged in. A cable allows you to use your phone and charge at the same time, to use your phone you would have to remove it from the charging pad. The biggest issue with wireless charging at the moment is that not all phones have the capability of charging wirelessly.
While there are advantages to wireless charging there are still some things that need to be addressed before a phone can eliminate its wired charging method and rely only on wireless charging. With these rumors though, it most likely will come at some point. There were rumors for many years before Apple removed supplying chargers with their phones, that they were going to do so. While they denied it for years, they eventually did move in that direction. It is probably a matter of time before we do see wireless charging being the standard for smart phones.
Remember, at Genius Phone Repair we are here to get your devices back in your hand. If you are in need of our services, please reach out to us at https://www.geniusphonerepair.com or stop by one of our locations in Indiana and Michigan.