The Future Of Wireless Charging

Apple wants a wireless future. Here’s what that might mean for your next device…

- Alex Blake

Apple is not a company that enjoys giving up on a good idea. Take its planned wireless charging mat, AirPower, for example. This would have allowed you to charge multiple devices anywhere on the pad’s surface, but Apple ultimately could not get it to market. When Apple regretfully announced the termination of its pet project in late March 2019, the firm said, “We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward.”

Look at Apple today and that assertion appears to be truer than ever, with the company bringing wireless charging to an increasing number of devices – not least with the arrival of MagSafe on the new iPhone 12 series. It pairs a ring of magnets embedded into the back of the new iPhones with a disc-shaped MagSafe charger (similar to the one the Apple Watch has), with the aim being to deliver more power more efficiently than most Qi chargers can manage. The magnets help lock the iPhone 12 to its charger more securely, enabling it to deliver up to 15W of power; regular wireless charging (on iPhone 8) or later is limited to a maximum power delivery rate of 7.5W, meaning such devices will take longer to charge.

With Apple’s stated wireless charging aims in hand, what can we expect to see from the Cupertino company in the next few years? Let’s see what the future holds.

Long live AirPower?