Is Wireless Charging Finally Coming To The iPhone?

Image courtesy of matsuyuki

Wireless charging — the ability to power up your mobile device without having to plug it in — has been standard on a number of smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy line, for years but has yet to be integrated into Apple’s iPhone. However, new reports indicate that Apple may finally be getting on the wireless charging wagon.

In a note regarding Broadcom — a semiconductor company that makes computer and server networking components — JPMorgan said the firm’s new wireless charging chip will be in the next iPhone, reports CNBC.

Although nothing is confirmed, rumors over the last few months have suggested that Apple is gearing up to release three new iPhones — a redesigned iPhone 8 or iPhone X, and two iPhone 7 updates — that will have new wireless charging tech.

It’s also unclear which wireless charging standard the chips will support, but it’ll either be the Power Matters Alliance standard or the Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi charging standard. Broadcom sells chips that work with both standards, notes CNBC.

PMA and Qi both employ inductive charging, which only works over very short distances and usually uses magnets to keep phones in place.

Although Apple recently joined the WPC, that may or may not make a difference, considering fellow consortium member Samsung has support for both standards in its Galaxy devices.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.