Cell Phone Wireless Chargers Technologies Roots
James Clerk Maxwell 
Heinrich-Hertz 
Nikola Tesla
Wireless or inductive charging has been around since Maxwell and Hertz experimented with radio waves in the 19th century. Nikola Tesla discovered that his coils induced currents in light bulbs and other powered devices.
Microwave-ovens generate heat energy by transmitting radio waves at the frequency of water to heating your food. Wireless chargers emit a radio wave that induces a current in the coil on the back of your phone to charge the battery.
Phone Case Effect on Wireless Charging
This form of wireless charging has two flaws. First, the energy used to create a radio frequency high enough to induce a current is higher than the energy needed.
A thick phone case will absorb the radio waves intended for charging the battery. If the case is too thick, it will not work at all. A typical wireless charger is just over 80% efficient at present.
Second, the induced current in the coil at the back of the phone causes heat. Depending on the size of the power draw, this can be a lot of heat, and older wireless chargers may damage the battery.
Are Wireless Chargers Worth It?
Wireless chargers are getting better. Manufacturers of new devices install receiving coils as standard, and they are getting cheaper. The main benefit of a wireless charger is that it can be hidden.
Smartphone Wireless Charging Stations are easy to attach to the underside of desks or kitchen counters, there is no need to have lots of wires covering all of the surfaces.
A Smartphone with no port; it is one less hole to fill with grime. A wireless charging pad is also much more flexible. Proprietary phone sockets and wall adapters no longer matter.
Qi Wireless Chargers
There are two main wireless charging formats. Powermat (PMA) was founded by Proctor and Gamble as a non-for-profit and was launched in 2012. PMA is now under the banner of the AirFuel Alliance (A4WP).
Qi was launched as a private company in 2009. Qi, Powermat, and the other competitors to the wireless charging market are looking to better the transmission range. Younger technologies needed the device to sit directly on a mat. It is now possible to charge through another surface, such as a desk.
Qi and Powermat are separate systems. It used to be that brands specific to those systems would only work on one of the wireless chargers.
Samsung Wireless Chargers
Samsung is a top electronic manufacturer, with a minor hick-up with their folding phones. They have invested billions in the development of mobile phones and accessories. With its good reputation and innovative technology, Samsung has also kept their prices realistic.
Samsung makes a Qi-compatible pad for two devices. The dock will stand one device horizontally and the other style lets your phone lay flat on a pad. The pads even have cooling fans to assist in fast charging without overheating the batteries. All for the price of two regular cabled chargers from Samsung.
Apple Wireless Chargers
Apple does not make its own wireless chargers, they do advertise other manufacturers wireless chargers on their website that make compatible chargers.
They make a magnetic wireless charger intended for their Apple Watches. The magnet is there to pull the device into the optimum charging position. It is not for mounting the watch on a wall or for their phones.
Some of the current brands that can charge wirelessly are:
- Apple
- BlackBerry
- Caterpillar
- HTC
- Huawei
- LG
- Microsoft
- Motorola
- Nokia
- Samsung
- Sharp
- Sony
- Vertu
- Xiaomi
- ZTE
Third-Party Chargers
If you just want something dependable, inexpensive, and simple. A simple Wireless Disk Fast Chargers are available for great prices. The manufacturers supply a USB cable, so if you have a USB charger, the device is ready to go.
For fast charging, a good thing to look for is charger is the Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC) 2.0 Chipset in power adaptors.
In a surprising move, phone manufacturers have not cornered the wireless charging market. In a similar way with the advancements of Wi-fi and next-generation Mobile Phones. Wireless charging is open to the industry’s finest to advance the technology.
There are many third-party developers of chargers suitable for Samsung, iPhone, and other brands. The price of the charger is less than that of a conventional charger. There is no need to swap adaptors if you own more than one brand of a wireless charging device.
Please see our other articles “What Is The Best Portable Smartphone Power Type?” and “Are Qi Wireless Smartphone Chargers Better?”
Wireless Charging Docks
There are stylish wireless chargers, like charge docks. These are stands that charge your smartwatch on a cradle next to the phone rather than have it resting on the bezel.
It is a sophisticated charger with a charging pad for wearables and a stand for a phone. It can charge at power ratings of 7.5w and 5w.
For something more fitting to a wooden surface. SurgeDisk makes a Qi charging pad with bamboo decking and a white surround. The bamboo will resist and absorb the charging signal. This can result in a slight heat build-up so most wireless chargers will use plastic for this very reason.
Note from Surge Disk
“We strongly recommend using a 5V/2A adapter/Power Source (Not Included) for the best results. It’s normal for the pad and phone to get warm slightly during inductive charging, and they may get even warmer if you use your phone during charging. For example; using GPS, playing games, music, etc. We recommend removing protective cases during charging.”
Wireless Charging Mouse Pads
Most of us plug our phones into the USB port of the computer at home or when we get to work. You do not need an adapter if you have the USB cable that is usually supplied with the phone.
The pad plugs into the USB port of the computer and the charging station is set to the side of the pad so that it stays out of the way.
The pad has smart charging protection to prevent overheating and keep the phone’s battery at its optimum. The pad has in-built LED lights that are intensity and power-adjustable to give it some character.
Wireless Charging in the Car
Wireless charging stations are making their way to cars, and this is where they take on a new level of practicality. New vehicles are set to have wireless charging as standard. Cars should be free of visible wires. Wires get in the way and take space in the storage compartments.
A wireless dock will charge all compatible devices without fiddling to find a charging hole in the phone. Using wired chargers on phones in a car is a sure way to break the internal connectors.
Tesla Model 3 Wireless Phone Charger Jeda Wireless Pad
The Tesla Model-3 uses a Qi-compliant wireless charger that connects to an adaptor with a regular USB connector, as an optional extra. There are many third-party car chargers that will attach to the front window of a car with a sucker.
It is even possible to use the same charging pad like the ones at home if you do not need to see the phone in front of you. Most pads use USB USB-c or a proprietary charger if you want to use fast charging.
Wireless Cup Charger
A wireless cup charger sits in the center cupholder of your car taking up no more space on the dashboard. The charger also has a USB port to charge other devices not capable of charging wirelessly. The charger will power 10,7.5 and 5W devices with the wired dock.
The power for the device will come from a lighter socket adaptor or another USB connection in the vehicle. There is also a cup holder with a flexible stand. To keep the phone next to you and visible without being in the driving eye-line.
Power Bank
A power bank is a good alternative to having separate chargers at home, in the office, and in the car. A Qi-enabled Power Bank charges its own battery through a USB port. The bank can either be used at home or taken on the road to charge at 5w or use the faster 10W rate for new devices. You can even use it while sitting at a restaurant or coffee bar.
The efficiency is lower than other chargers at 75%, but it is still a good product to safely charge your phone. Wireless Earbuds have also been made for wireless charging. The case for the buds doubles as a power bank that will wirelessly charge your device when laid on it.
Please also check out these articles “Do You Need a Smartphone Screen Protector?” and “How to Break Free From Your Smartphone (Yet Still Be Reachable).”
Summary
Wireless charging is here to stay and not going anywhere. Future wireless charging devices will need to get stronger to go through Smartphone Cases better, ports complicate the process. This type of charging, like folding phones, needs more development to make it more efficient and to increase the charging range.
If you have a busy life with little time to spend on looking for a charging port, then this is the technology for you. Wireless chargers are less of a mess for the home. But where they make the most sense is in the car. You can use that time spent driving charging the phone.
Wireless chargers at home, in the office, restaurants, and airports certainly have a future purpose and function if you have wireless devices to charge. You only need the one pad, even if it is a double pad, and so one power adaptor.
They look clean, organized, and can be hidden. They save the socket of the device. It could be said that you stand a greater chance of damaging your phone by having a cable plugged-in that is easy to snag and pull to the floor.
Wireless chargers are a lot better than they were a few years ago, and it would seem that this is the beginning of the end for the cable connector.
Additional Citation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dynamical_Theory_of_the_Electromagnetic_Field
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla#Colorado_Springs