Skip to main content

Powermat admits defeat as Qi wins wireless charging

Powermat joins WPC
Brenda Stolyar / Digital Trends
For the last few years there has been a war raging for dominance in the wireless charging space, with two competing standards emerging as the front runners: Qi and Powermat’s Airfuel Inductive. With the news that Powermat has now joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), throwing its weight behind rival standard Qi, it looks as though the war is finally over.

Qi has been dominating for the last few years, with all the best wireless chargers in the consumer space, while Powermat pursued partnerships with chains like Starbucks. Samsung hedged its bets, supporting both the Qi and Airfuel standards in flagships like the Galaxy S8, but when Apple went all-in with Qi on the iPhone X, Powermat finally threw in the towel.

Powermat is now set to contribute to the WPC, which will “leverage Powermat’s expertise in technology innovation to support more use cases including higher power and expanded special freedom,” according to WPC’s chairman, Menno Treffers.

Existing Powermat hardware can support the Qi standard, though it requires a software update. That has already happened at Starbucks and we imagine other Powermat partners will get similar updates. Powermat will now help to develop new wireless charging technology, while remaining backwards compatible with Qi.

“Qi has become the dominant wireless charging standard on the market and the recently launched Apple iPhone lineup is evidence of this success,” explained Elad Dubzinski, Powermat CEO in a press statement. “Powermat will share technology innovation to further unlock wireless charging potential, and will expedite the growth of the wireless charging infrastructure, bringing wireless charging to wherever users need it.”

The Power Matters Alliance (PMA), which Powermat is a member of, merged with A4WP, with its Rezence technology, back in 2015 to form the Airfuel Alliance, but it failed to keep pace with the WPC’s Qi which has seen steady growth. Apple’s adoption of Qi forced Powermat partners like Starbucks to update their wireless charging pads and spelled the end for the Airfuel standard. This is great news for regular folks as it makes wireless charging simpler. With Apple, Samsung, LG, and a host of other companies (more than 360 in total) pushing the Qi standard, it looks as though wireless charging is finally going mainstream.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Hill
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…
Dell could be working on the same charging tech Apple has been developing
A Dell XPS 13 Plus viewed from the side.

Dell is working on a wireless phone charger for your laptop and it is similar to technology Apple has been working on for years. The patent was discovered by Patently Apple and first reported by TechRadar.

Dell's technology works like this: a small wireless charging clip can be placed in unused space in the laptop, either on the palm rest or on the lid. You can then place your phone or wearables with wireless charging on top, and the laptop will charge it.

Read more
Does the Google Pixel 6a have wireless charging? Know this before buying
Google Pixel 6a resting against a yellow fire hydrant.

For a more budget-friendly device, the Google Pixel 6a is packed with features. Ever since the introduction of the Pixel A series, Google has impressed its fans by offering a cheaper version of its flagship smartphone line that still holds its own against other competing devices despite the reduced price. The Pixel 6a is no exception, but despite how much it's able to do, it doesn't have all of the features you would expect from a regular Pixel 6 or 6 Pro -- namely, wireless charging.

As phones have become essential devices for many people across the world, battery features like fast and wireless charging are hotly requested when new devices launch. A big question many have been asking about the Pixel 6a is in regards to its wireless charging options. Previous Pixel A phones haven't supported it, but as Google's budget devices tout more impressive specs with each release, some are hoping that the 6a will be the first in the series to have it.

Read more
Does the Nothing Phone 1 have wireless charging? 3 important things to know
The back of the Nothing Phone 1 with Glyph lights active.

Ready to buy the Nothing Phone 1, but want to make sure it has wireless charging before you put down your money? There’s both good and bad news on the charging front with the new Nothing Phone 1, so here’s what you need to know.

First, the Nothing Phone 1 does have wireless charging, but it can’t match the speed of its own wired charging system, nor the wireless charging speeds achieved by devices from Huawei, Oppo, or some other brands. It’s based on the Qi wireless charging system, which means that, although you don’t get a wireless charger with the phone, most wireless chargers available will support it. The Nothing Phone 1 supports maximum power of 15W when wirelessly charging.

Read more