The latest wireless charging is a little better than plugging in the charger with a cable. This way you ditch the wire but you still have to plug in the charging pad and then keep your phone on the dock to get it charged. A better version to charge your phone might be on its way. The FCC has recently approved wireless charging tech that can work at a distance of feet so you don’t even have to keep your phone down on the charging dock.
The technology to charge your phone in midair with no wires has existed for more than two years now. It made an appearance at CES two years ago, though with some big caveats like the need for bulky charging case to make the magic happen. FCC recently granted approval to startup Energous, this marks an important milestone on the path toward getting this tech in a phone you actually use. The company’s “WattUp” system consists of a transmitter and receiver that the company says can charge multiple devices at a distance of up to 15 feet. While there is no consumer version yet, one is assuredly in the production.
The prospects of wireless charging that will work like a Wi-Fi is exciting but it is still likely has a long way to go. Companies like Energous may be able to perfect their own systems, these are all destined to require bulky phone cases to function as a receiver for the near future until phone makers are interested in bringing the new wirelessly chargeable batteries in their devices.
How long will that take? A while. The first pad-style wireless-charging Android phone was launched in 2012. It wasn’t until this year that the tech finally made it to iPhones. This is happening after years of sub-par wireless charging performance and multiple standards wars. We can expect the same from wireless charging tech. It is at work and there might be a day when it will be in one of the phones you own.
