The Future of Wireless Charging

Typically, when I think of technology, my mine immediately goes to phones. Phones are such a huge part society and companies like Apple and Samsung are constantly stepping up their upgrades in order to have the best cellphones possible. One of the biggest aspects of phones that usually plays a large role in the purchase is charging. People shopping for new phones are often checking the battery life, charging speed, and so much more. Recently, wireless charging has become one of the most popular aspects of cellphones. With charging pads and stands, the need for a charger that inserts into your phone is becoming less and less. While these new forms of charging are becoming more popular everyday, could there be another way to charge your phone that requires even less work from the consumer?

OPPO, a Chinese consumer electronics company, is working to find an answer to that very question. At the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai, OPPO took to the stage to showcase its new wireless air charging technology. This new way of charging uses magnetic resonance technology that allows the phone to start charging when it is within 10 centimeters of the charging mat. A huge benefit to this is that the costumer would be able to use their phone without being connected to a charger as the phone is charging through the air. While the concept will likely take years before it arrives on the market, OPPO is at competition with another company called Xiaomi that has already announced this new type of air charging. Now, it will be a race to see who can get this technology into a device and on the market first.

As someone who already uses a charging pad instead of a traditional wire charging, I am always very interested in the newest wireless charging updates. Not only are wireless chargers a hassle to keep up with, they also break easily and do not last as long as charging pads or stands do. While durability is definitely a benefit of wireless charging, getting these gadgets to the same charging speed as wires can be somewhat of an issue. It will be exciting to see if OPPO can get the air charging to not only work but also make it as successful as traditional charging. If they can get it check all of the boxes, I think air charging will certainly be a huge product of the future.