Introduction
Though still in its infancy stage, wireless charging technology can be dated back more than 100 years to its actual inventor Nikola Tesla. And though this technology was neglected for a century, it is sure to be an integral aspect of our day to day lives soon, with all the research going to make it better each day.
Since it is in our human nature to try to make the simpler task as simple as possible, the plug and charge model is being simplified with the emergence of this wireless charging technology. As a result, the plug and charge model may lose its existence as we switch to this new drop and charge approach.
Although named wireless charging, the whole charging process is not wire-free. The technology only removes the need to make a wired connection between our charging adapter and the phone itself. We still need to have a wired connection between our charging station (either flat pad or stand) and the power supply socket to get our phones charged.
The general working mechanics of this process is simple enough, even though it appears to be quite magical at first glance. But it is rather much simpler if we see its breakdown. So before proceeding with wireless charging, let's glance at the wired charging process. Basically, during a wired charging process, the mobile chargers convert the AC power from the household electric outlets into DC power. Then the power is fed to the mobile's battery via a cable.
In wireless charging, the current supplied to the charging station creates a magnetic field as it flows through the transmitter coil. And when a device with a receiver coil enters this magnetic field, the receiver harvest this energy and converts it to DC with the help of its circuitry before feeding it to the battery for storage. So basically, wireless charging releases the electric power into space as magnetic energy, and then the magnetic energy is again converted to electric energy by the device being charged. Power is in the air!!
The wireless charging technology is not limited to only mobile and accessories. Its uses can range across various other industries, e.g., medical, food preservation, transport and automotive etc. But we rarely may come across such scenarios to see its application.
Considering its use in our lives, let's look into some of its merits and demerits to see if it's really the time for us to switch to this new technology.
Advantages:
At present, though it might seem to be a bit luxurious choice to be using wireless charging, nonetheless, we cannot keep our eyes closed towards the advantages that it offers to us.
The most alluring benefit of wireless charging is, of course, what the name itself suggests—the freedom from the wire that needs to be connected between the charged and the phone. However, the charger itself needs to have a wired connection, either visible or hidden, to the power outlet. Still, getting rid of just one cable brings so much ease to us. We need not constantly have to worry about fetching our proper charging cable while we are making holiday packings. Or, we can simply get to our room from a tiring day and drop our phone in the charging station before hitting the bed instead of roaming around in search of the cord with a stressful head. Also, there will be no risk of losing or breaking wire now and then. At best, wireless connection will definitely keep our heads and homes from needless worry and mess.
'Qi', considered a global standard for wireless charging, definitely eliminates the tedious job to find the right accessories to get our mobile charging. Any Qi-certified charging stations can charge any Qi-certified mobiles phones. This uniformity can have a mass impact. Installing Qi-certified charger at various public places can definitely be a life-saving option for many people who wanders into the unknown without any preparations. This feature is again not just limited to smartphones. Any devices such as headsets, AirPods or anything else under Qi-certification can be charged without having to worry about anything. Since this uniformity has the potential to wipe off the trademark charging adapters completely, such adapters may be nothing a myth in the distant future.
Without the need to constantly attach and detach our phones for charging and using them, it eliminates the ever building wear and tear of smartphones sockets. Also, upon reading the fully charged status of a mobile phone, wireless charges automatically turn off. Thus making our device more energy-efficient, safe, durable.
Disadvantages:
Of course, it is impossible to find a coin with just a single side. This other side or on the other hand, prevails almost everywhere. And so we are bound to consider the drawbacks of this promising technology.
Again, let's roll back to its name. Although it is wireless to some extent, it removes the convenience of 'use while on charge'. We can definitely enjoy movies and series while we charge it wirelessly, but it takes away the freedom of holding it in our hands and going on with countless touches that we may need to do while playing games or fooling around with some apps. To point it out, although it's wire-free, it snatches our freedom to use our mobile in a way we all have been used to till now.
Since this technology is still in its early stage, its charging efficiency is not comparable to wired charging. Saying that: this technology takes a longer duration to charge our phone than wired charging given the same amount of power supply.
Again although it clears our head from the stress to go looking for our cords before we charge our mobiles, it installs another stress. It's not just going to be a drop and charge thing. We must be aware of our phone's and charging station alignment if we don't want to wake up with false hope of a fully charged phone. However, this is not going to be an issue for a long time, unlike the efficiency of this technology.
Another thing to consider is the price. Since most brands ship their phones along with wired chargers, spending some bucks on getting a wireless charger may not seem to be much economical as we are already equipped with an option.
This technology is in its transitional phase, it has drawbacks. Nonetheless, it also has some optimistic features that will surely overcome its early stages drawbacks. And with all the uniformity it may bring charging a phone will definitely have a next-level experience.