New Qi Standard Charges Devices From 2 Inches Away

The Wireless Power Consortium released an upgraded Qi wireless charging standard that can charge electronic devices from a distance of almost 2 inches.

Wireless charging using the Wireless Power Consortium's Qi standard hasbeen taken up by several phone makers and is widely adapted by consumers. The WPC has upgraded its standard for Qi with version 1.2, which will allow smartphones, tablets and future household appliances to be charged from almost two inches away. The Qi v1.1 promoted inductive charging for smartphones and the new update is setting the standard higher with resonance charging.

According to the Wireless Power Consortium, the new Qi standard does not require the receiver and the transmitter to physically touch each other. The WPC says it can charge a Qi-enabled device from up to 45mm away, which is precisely 1.77 inches, Daily Tech reports.

"The WPC is committed to advancing a specification that offers the best user experience without sacrifices in critically important areas to consumers and businesses alike," Menno Treffers, chairman of the WPC, said in a company's press release on Thursday. "This means backward compatibility with products already in the market and maintaining high-efficiency even over greater distances."

The new achievement can be extremely helpful in cars where the smartphone can charge automatically if placed nearby. The WPC also noted the existing Qi v1.1 and version 1.2 are compatible with one another and transfers power from up to 30mm distance with version 1.1.

WPC also hopes to use the updated Qi standard to power kitchen appliances at up to 2,000 watts. This will reduce the dependence on multiple power outlets in each room and boost efficiency, as it requires just a single inverter while charging multiple devices.

Resonance charging from less than two inches away may not be a significant achievement but is a major step towards further improvements. With its backwards-compatibility, Qi 1.2 will support all existing Qi devices such as select handsets from Nokia, HTC, LG, Motorola, HTC and others. Nokia was among the first phone makers to integrate the technology into smartphones, but encouraged other smartphone makers to jump into the bandwagon.