Wireless Charging FAQs

Crable’s charging shelves are configured with two WirelessCharging pads as well as up to four plug sockets and two USB Ports as standard.Wireless Chargers are an incredibly handy way to charge portable appliances and do not require users to carry cables, leads and plugs.

But, so many people do not understand wireless charging and have yet to take advantage of the simplicity of this battery boosting method.

In this article you’ll find answers to the wireless charging questions most people have.

What is Wireless Charging?

Wireless charging is also known as inductive charging or cordless charging. It allows electrical power to be transferred to a device wirelessly through electromagnetic induction.

Portable appliances like phones that are fitted with wireless receivers are placed on or very close to a wireless charging station and inductive coupling ensues.  

How Long Has Wireless Charging of Phones Been Possible?

Mobile phones with in-built wireless receivers first appeared on the market in 2013 with the Google Nexus 7. Prior to this wireless charging to phones was only achievable through accessory phone covers. 

Samsung started integrating wireless receivers into their handset ranges from 2016 and Apple quickly followed in 2017 with their iPhone 8launch.

Which Phones Can Be Wirelessly Charged?

Almost all new handsets on the market today have in-built wireless receivers and are thus able to wirelessly charge. 

The capabilities of phones in terms of the power transfer speed have increased steadily from 2017’s limited 5W to the now standard 15W.Roughly, phones can charge 3x quicker now than back in 2017.

The big players in the mobile handset market like Samsung, Apple and Microsoft all deploy the QI standard of wireless charging that is controlled by the Wireless Power Consortium.

Does My Phone Have Wireless Charging?

It probably does (if less than three years old) but you won’t be able to see it. The beauty of wireless charging is that the inbuilt copper coils in your phone that couple with coils in the wireless charging station are hidden within your phone. Being integrated within your phone means that the electronics are not susceptible to corrosion as they are kept away from water or oxygen in the atmosphere.

You can check if your handset model has integrated wireless charging by searching in Google for your handset followed by ‘wireless charging’.

Is Wireless Charging Safe to Use?

Yes and probably safer than other charging methods.

Cables can become frayed with constant curling and bending.Packing and unpacking your cable puts stress on both the plastic sheath and the copper strands that do the power transfer. Eventually, copper can become exposed and this is where dangerous situations can arise.

Wireless charging requires no cables, and all components required to inductively charge your phone are secured safely within the charging hub and your phone handset.

Additionally, good quality wireless chargers are fitted with ‘foreign object detection’. This means that if metal objects, for example keys, are placed on the wireless charging pads then the power transfer will not activate.  

How Long Does Wireless Charging Take to Fill My Phone?

That all depends on the amount of power your battery has init at the point of starting to charge. Simply put, the less battery percent your phone has the quicker the initial charging will be.

Phones charge most quickly in the early stages of a charging cycle of between 0% and 30% battery capacity. Charging speeds then slow down to the 80% point and to get to the 100% goal (if that is indeed what you want to get to) is quite a bit slower.

Why is that? This is most easily explained by comparing the goal of 100% battery charge to a 100m sprinter crossing the finishing line and a train pulling into a station. The sprinter is travelling at full speed when they cross the finish line whereas the train slowly arrives at the exact point on the platform that is its goal.

If the train was travelling at full speed when it arrived in the station it would stop nowhere near the platform point it desired. It’s the same with a phone which mustn’t exceed the 100% battery capacity when charging.

Does Wireless Charging Damage Phone Batteries?

There is no evidence that wireless charging damages phone batteries. Over time all phone battery performance deteriorates, and handset manufacturers understand that every component has a finite lifecycle which thus requires them to provide replacement parts or for you to upgrade the entire handset.

There is no difference between the life expectancy of a wireless-charged battery and a wired-charged battery.  

Can I Still Charge My Phone Using Cables and Leads?

Yes you can.

There is talk of handsets going ‘portless’ in the future as this is the right thing to do for our planet. Think of all the plastic and copper going into landfills when damaged or obsolete cables are thrown away.

All handsets and other portable appliances being capable of only wirelessly charging is a good thing for us all.  

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