Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is further developing its Qi standard of wireless device charging, with its new Qi fast charging. This will charge devices at 15 watts. The earlier Qi standard of charging was 5 watts, which means that Qi compatible devices can now be charged three times faster than before.
This charging speed is also faster than most wired charging adapters. The usual rate of charging provided by companies like Micromax and Coolpad is 5 watts, while Apple and Xiaomi are known to provide chargers capable of charging your device at 12 watts. The new fast charging rate will be available for all devices that have Qi compatibility in them, along with a compatible charger.
Qi fast charging works on the principles of induction energy transfer. A device needs to be within 4 cms (1.6 inches) of the charging pad for wireless charging to work. Qi’s new standard comes after the recent Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) merger announcement, that will occur in July. With this merger, wireless charging will have two major names: the WPC and PMA/A4WP. The very first smartphones to use Qi charging were announced back in 2011, and even after a few years, the mobile phone industry is yet to reach an agreement for an international standard of wireless charging. The Qi fast charging technology may help that.
Companies involved in WPC’s Board of Management that are working with Qi standard include Microsoft, Qualcomm, MediaTek, HTC, Samsung, Sony and others. Although an official announcement is yet to arrive from WPC, Android Authority claims that WPC has this technology in their possession. We wait for the first demonstrations of Qi fast charging to be released.