When inductive wireless charging first hit the smartphone scene around the time of thePalm Prein 2009, it was a niche technology that failed to capture much market attention. We saw a slow uptick in the adoption of the tech throughout the 2010s, as well as a brief format war between theWireless Power Consortium’sQi standard and the Power Matters Alliance’s PMA standard.
With Apple’s adoption of Qi starting with theiPhone Xin 2017, and its subsequent introduction of MagSafe in 2020, the fate of wireless charging was sealed: Qi would prevail as the de facto inductive standard, and magnetic mounting was to be the way forward in evolving the way we top up our smartphones. It wasn’t long after this thatQi2was released, which borrowed heavily from Apple with its ownMagnetic Power Profile(MPP) ring of magnets.
Over the past year or so, I’ve gone ahead and outfitted every floor of my home with at least one Qi2 charging stand.
I was never a wireless charging fan back before MagSafe and Qi2. Aside from slow 5W top-up speeds, I found it difficult to line up the charging coils correctly, making for an unsatisfactory user experience across the board. Now that magnets have been incorporated into the mix (vindicating Palm once and for all), and now that wattage is at an acceptable level, I’ve had a 180-degree change of heart when it comes to all things wireless charging.
Over the past year or so, I’ve gone ahead and outfitted every floor of my home with at least oneQi2 charging stand. Here’s why I love wireless charging so much in its modern incarnation, and why,despite the tech’s heat generation and inefficiency drawbacks, I feel it’s wholly superior to wired smartphone charging.
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1It’s just plain convenient
Magnets are more user-friendly than cables
Whether we’re talking about Qi2 with its MPP ring of magnets, or Apple’s MagSafe standard, the end-user experience is roughly the same: plop a compatible phone onto a wireless charging stand or base, and it’ll latch on and immediately start topping up the unit’s battery. I love the frictionless experience this provides – it’s far more user-friendly than a traditional USB port could ever dream of being.
Smartphones have rapidly gone from a luxury product to an essential commodity, and magnetic wireless charging systems are far more accessible for those with motor disabilities, as well as for elderly individuals who might lack the tech literacy of younger generations. In many ways, with modern wireless charging, it feels like we’ve gone full circle: you’re able to drop your smartphone onto its charger when not in use, much like a traditional wireless landline telephone (minus the pogo pins, of course).
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2It reduces wear and tear
USB-C ports have an insertion shelf life
USB-C ports are fairly resilient, but they certainly have a shelf life. TheUSB Implementers Forum ratesthe USB Type-C specification at a minimum of 10,000 mating cycles. This is a marked improvement over USB-A’s 1,500 cycles, and a match for USB Micro-B’s 10,000 cycles, but smartphones generally require charging on a daily basis, which adds up over time. Switching over to wireless charging has helped me avoid unnecessary strain on my own phone’s USB-C port, which keeps it in tip-top physical shape for when I want to use it for transferring data.
Inductive charging can also help protect the chassis of a phone. Back when I relied exclusively on wired charging, I had a habit of scratching the metal frame surrounding my phone’s port – likely the result of fumbling around to plug my device in while in the dark before bed. Even with USB-C’s reversible connector design, myHTC 10and mySamsung Galaxy S9have several battle scars to each of their names.
The inconvenient truth about wireless charging
Just give me the old plug and be done with it.
3It gets me using my phone less
Far and away, the biggest benefit of switching to a wireless charging setup has been the way it improves my digital hygiene for the better. I used to carry my phone around with me in my pocket at all times, including while at home. As a result, I was never more than a moment away from distractingsocial media feedsand dopamine-filledYouTubevideos. Now that my house is decked out with wireless charging stands, my phone has a dedicated home of its own. I can rest assured that it’s being juiced up, and that I’ll know where to find it when I actually need to use it.
Aside from being more mindful of my phone usage, Qi2 and MagSafe chargers with a stand-like design have another benefit: they allow a phone to work double-duty as a smart display. My iPhone 15 Pro’sStandBy modeserves as an excellent digital clock, and my Pixel 9 Pro is the perfect digital photo frame when paired with aGoogle Pixel Stand. I’m such a fan of ambient displays, in fact, that I only ever purchase stand-style wireless chargers. I’ve given the boot to all pucks, mats, and base-style chargers in my home, as they don’t offer me the glanceability that I value in my personal wireless charging setup.
The best Qi2 wireless chargers
A new and improved wireless charging standard means a whole new set of chargers, stands, and external batteries to choose from.
