Run, wireless charging!

Wireless charging will eventually become a mainstream application - the industry has long reached a consensus on this trend, but what has puzzled everyone in the past is when will the "turning point" of wireless charging market explosion come? Fortunately, just when wireless charging is still waiting anxiously in front of the market goal, Apple has sent a "god assist"! Last September, Apple announced that its latest three flagship models, iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, will all adopt wireless charging functions compatible with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) Qi standard.

After this, wireless charging once again became a "hot search" in the electronics circle. As for Apple's next move in the field of wireless charging, people couldn't help but enter the "guessing" mode again, and began to predict the product design of Apple's official wireless charging pad AirPower, and when Apple will open the MFi certification for charging peripheral products that support 7.5W wireless fast charging mode.

Figure 1, Apple's wireless charger AirPower that can charge multiple devices (Image source: Internet)

Apple's step into the field of wireless charging is seen by many analysts as a sign of industry development, and it sends out two important messages.

• First, today, there are no obstacles to the large-scale commercial use of wireless charging in the mobile phone field , so everyone can still go ahead and give it a go. It is predicted that in 2018, 50% of mobile phones will have built-in wireless charging functions.

• Second, there is no need to worry about the so-called "wireless charging standard dispute" anymore. Compared with the Rezence magnetic resonance technology protocol, which has a stronger sense of the future but still needs time to be perfected, the Qi magnetic induction technology protocol is a more realistic choice for everyone to make money in the market right now. Apple has already chosen its side, so don't hesitate any longer.

In fact, inspired by the actions of well-known manufacturers such as Apple, the wireless charging industry has been "running" since the second half of 2017. WPC predicts that in 2017, the number of wireless charging products using Qi technology will reach 325 million, of which about 300 million are smartphones; it is expected that by 2020 and 2025, the market size of wireless charging receivers will reach 1 billion and 2 billion respectively, and the market size of transmitters will also reach 500 million in 2021.

Powerful technology suppliers upstream of the industry chain have also expressed their views. For example, Bill Amelio, CEO of Avnet, publicly supported Qi wireless charging technology in an article titled "Qi standard is for more than just smartphones", asserting that moving towards wireless charging "is the right move."

At the same time, downstream application developers are also gearing up. There are reports that after the release of Apple's new products, the number of customer inquiries about related chip products has increased significantly. Obviously, new Design-Ins are emerging. Some domestic manufacturers have announced that their wireless charging product shipments will reach tens of millions in 2018.

Of course, we cannot attribute all the popularity of the wireless charging market to Apple’s actions. From a broader industry perspective, the continuous development and evolution of the wireless charging technology ecosystem in recent years is the key internal factor. Apple’s “assistance” is just a natural outcome.

First of all, wireless charging technology itself is constantly improving, and has crossed the commercial threshold in some key indicators . Take the Qi standard as an example. In the latest WPC 1.2 specification, the charging power that the technology can support has been increased to 15W, and the charging efficiency is expected to reach 88%.

In terms of charging "freedom", the vertical charging distance has also been increased from the initial 5mm to 15mm, and the horizontal distance has increased from +/-6mm to +/-18mm; the multi-coil architecture can also meet the needs of charging multiple devices on a single charging plate - some analysts say that Apple will adopt such a design architecture on AirPower.

At the same time, some developers have discovered that the Qi wireless charging standard can transmit data while transmitting electrical energy. Based on the communication between the powered device and the charger, it is entirely possible to derive some new business models. For example, when you use the free public wireless charging facilities in a shopping mall to charge your mobile phone, relevant promotional information will also be pushed to you.

Figure 2: IKEA perfectly combines wireless charging with home appliances and furniture (Image source: IKEA)

Secondly, the application scope of wireless charging is also expanding . Although mobile phones will still be the largest market for wireless charging in the future, the share of other market segments will continue to increase. For example, in the consumer goods market, more and more solutions have embedded wireless charging functions into daily furniture and household appliances, making "charging at hand" a reality.

In some specific applications such as industry, medical treatment, and military, in order to cope with complex and harsh environments, it is usually necessary to reduce the "open" external interfaces in the product as much as possible. At this time, wireless charging will become a must for the product. The rise of electric vehicles will also become an important driving force for wireless charging technology. Whether it is high-power wireless charging of power batteries or charging of low-power on-board devices inside the vehicle, it will stimulate the evolution of wireless charging technology and products.

Finally, the continuously improving industrial chain of wireless charging will also become an accelerator of its commercialization process . As the market expands, not only will related chip manufacturers and technology distributors become more active, but independent wireless charging solution providers will also find greater room for growth, such as AVID Technologies, a subsidiary of Avnet. They can quickly provide solutions and product design support to end users with their rich design experience in the field of wireless charging and deep accumulation of application cases.

In short, with the support of many "favorable" factors, wireless charging has already "started running", and we have no choice but to keep up with its speed.

Figure 3: Development trend of the wireless charging market in the United States. As the market grows, the application areas of wireless charging are developing towards diversification (Unit: million US dollars, image source: GRAND VIEW RESEARCH)