Vivo will release a smartphone that can be charged at a long distance from the charger up to 4.5 meters by air.
California-based startup Energous has created a technology called WattUp to charge devices not only wirelessly, but over a decent distance. The company announced a partnership with Chinese manufacturer Vivo to bring a smartphone with WattUp 2.0 technology to market.
WattUp 2.0 is capable of charging devices up to 4.5 meters away from the charging station with a capacity of up to 20 watts. When exactly Vivo will release a smartphone with this technology, as well as what model it will be, has not yet been announced.
The first generation WattUp allowed charging at distances of up to one meter. Charging WattUp works like this: energy is converted into radio waves, which are captured by a special receiver in gadgets located at a distance. That is, the smartphone does not have to be put on a special charger connected with a wire to an outlet, as is done in modern "wireless" chargers. WattUp can be placed, for example, under a table or on a shelf, and gadgets can be placed in convenient places.
What do we know about the first generation of these chargers
In 2014, a young Californian company Energous introduced WattUp technology in San Francisco, which allows smartphones, tablets and other small gadgets located within the same room to be simultaneously charged wirelessly.
Promotional video:
The main idea of Energous founder Stephen Rizzone is that our lives would be much more comfortable if our devices were not so dependent on wires and outlets. For smartphones, smartwatches, electric shavers and toothbrushes, there are more and more induction chargers, but their range is limited to a couple of centimeters.
Wireless power transmission methods vary widely from manufacturer to manufacturer. Now the most common method of electromagnetic induction. It can be found in all circuits where devices do not require physical contact with the charger cradle through a conductor.
Variants with free movement of gadgets on recharging are still found mainly in laboratories. They try to use the effect of electrostatic induction, radio frequency energy transmission, laser and even ultrasound. Most of these methods are of little use for domestic purposes.
The radio wave method is considered as the most promising, but some acceptable results were achieved only with directional energy transmission. This requires precise orientation of the receiver and transmitter relative to each other - what kind of freedom of movement is there?
It seems that this problem was solved by the developers from the Energous company. Their WattUp technology looks quite viable at an early stage, and most importantly - convenient.
All mobile devices are connected to miniature external receivers or inserted into a case (bumper) with a built-in wireless charging unit. Both options do not prevent you from continuing to use your gadgets. MIT Technology Review editor Rachel Metz attended the testing of the WattUp prototype.
She put a small receiver on her iPhone and was with it more than three meters from the wall-mounted shared charger. The smartphone continued to charge even when people walked around the room with it.
Energous's development is quite original, although not groundbreaking. In the past couple of years, the competition in the wireless charging technology market has become very fierce. While WattUp is still in the final stages of development, startup PowerbyProxi is negotiating with smartphone manufacturers to integrate with its system, and WiTricity is actively promoting another method. It has already secured the support of many large corporations, including Intel, Qualcomm and Samsung. The competitor's already powerful alliance was recently reinforced by partnerships with Toyota and TDK. However, Energous has its own trump card up its sleeve.
What is wireless charging?
Before considering models of smartphones that are equipped with wireless charging, you need to understand its essence. In fact, wireless transmission of energy is not as complicated technology as it seems at first glance. In technical terms, wireless charging is represented by two copper coils.
One plays the role of a transmitter of energy that it receives from the electrical network. The coil is installed in the docking station (the platform on which the smartphone is subsequently placed).
The second coil is the receiver. It is equipped with devices that require energy, such as mobile phones. As a rule, the receiver is hidden from view inside the case, unless it is external.
The battery of the device receives energy due to the magnetic field that occurs when the receiver is in the field of action of the transmitter (usually about 4 centimeters). This principle is true for the Qi standard, which is most actively used in wireless charging of wearable devices.
Smartphone with Qi icon supports wireless charging
The Qi standard was developed by the Wireless Electromagnetic Energy Consortium to transmit energy over a distance of up to 4 centimeters. Scientists, creating the standard, used the developments that have already been done by many other specialists.
In general, the idea of transmitting energy at a distance appeared long ago, when Marie Ampere discovered a law proving that an electric current generates a magnetic field. A significant contribution was made by Nikola Tesla, who built a tower to demonstrate the wireless transmission of energy. Subsequently, many organizations and scientists were engaged in the study of technology, but a large percentage of the experiments ended in the early stages. Until this century, wireless power transmission has remained a challenge. Until the technology became interesting to large manufacturers of portable electronics. In 2009, after the creation of the Qi standard, which became the most suitable for use in wearable technology, a number of companies began to develop concepts that support wireless charging. The impetus for the firms was the fact that the standard was free and available.
Today, almost every flagship smartphone can boast of the presence of technology, and the budget one - accessories that make the function work for them too. Not a dozen companies are working on other energy transfer technologies besides electromagnetic induction. For example, students at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 conducted an experiment in which they proved that energy can be transmitted through ultrasound. And in 1945, the Soviet scientist Semyon Tetelbaum in an article described the possibility of energy transfer using microwave radiation.
Subsequently, this technology has been actively developed. Energy can be transferred with a laser beam, which has been proven by NASA in experiments. Nikola Tesla, known for his experiments with electricity, believed that it was possible to create a worldwide wireless system that would rid people of power lines.
To date, more than 80 smartphones have received Qi wireless charging, not counting smartwatches and other devices. And this figure is growing at an enviable rate.
So, wireless charging is integrated in the models (the list was updated in January 2019):
Apple:
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone X
iPhone Xs
iPhone Xs Max
iPhone Xr
Asus PadFone S
BlackBerry:
BlackBerry Passport
BlackBerry PRIV
BlackBerry Z30
CASIO CASIO G'z One Commando
Caterpillar Cat S50 Cat S50C
DeWalt Dewalt MD501 Dewalt MIL810G Energy Sistem Energy Phone Pro Qi
Fujitsu:
Fujitsu Arrows F-09D
Fujitsu Arrows Kiss F-03D
Fujitsu Arrows Kiss F-03E Fujitsu Arrows X F-10D
Google:
Google Nexus 4
Google Nexus 5 Google Nexus 6
Google Pixel 3 Google Pixel 3 XL HP
HP Elite X3
HTC:
HTC Droid DNA
HTC Windows Phone 8X
Huawei Mate20 Pro
Kyocera:
Kyocera Brigadier
Kyocera DuraForce
Kyocera Hydro Elite
Kyocera Torque G02
Kyocera Torque KC-S701
Kyocera Urbano L01
Kyocera Urbano L03
LG:
LG G2
LG G3
LG G6 ¹
LG G6 Plus ¹
LG G7
LG G7 ThinQ
LG Lucid 2
LG Lucid 3
LG Optimus F5
LG Optimus G Pro
LG Optimus It L-05E
LG Spectrum 2
LG Vu 2 LG Vu 3
LG V30
LG V30 Plus MTTMTT Master 4G
Microsoft:
Microsoft Lumia 950
Microsoft Lumia 950 Dual Sim
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual Sim
Mlais MX69W
Motorola:
Motorola Droid Maxx
Motorola Droid Mini
Motorola Droid Turbo
Motorola Droid Turbo 2
Motorola Moto Maxx
Motorola Moto X Force
mPhone 8
NEC:
NEC Medias PP N-01D
NEC Medias X N-04E
Nokia:
Nokia Lumia 1520
Nokia Lumia 735
Nokia Lumia 830
Nokia Lumia 920
Nokia Lumia 928
Nokia Lumia 929 (Icon)
Nokia Lumia 930
Nokia 8 Sirocco
Oukitel U23
Panasonic:
Panasonic Eluga P P-03E
Panasonic Eluga V P-06D
Panasonic Eluga X P-02E
Panasonic Eluga X1
Panasonic Eluga X1 Pro
Philips X723
Razor Phone 2
RugGear RugGear RG730
Samsung:
Samsung Galaxy S6
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus
Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung Galaxy S7 Active
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S8 Active
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Samsung Leader 8
Samsung W2016
Saygus V SQUARED
Sharp:
Sharp Aquos EX SH-04E
Sharp Aquos SH-07D
Sharp Aquos SH-13C
Sharp Aquos Slider SH-02D
Sharp Aquos Zeta SH-06E
Sharp Aquos Zeta SH-09D
Sharp Q-Pot SH-04D
Sharp SH-05D
Sony:
Sony Xperia Z3V
Sony Xperia Z4V
Sony Xperia XZ2
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
Sony Xperia XZ3
Techdy:
Techdy basic bear
Techdy bear pro
Vertu:
Vertu Aster
Vertu Signature Touch
Xiaomi:
Mi MIX 2S
Mi Mix 3
Yotaphone 2
ZTE:
ZTE Telstra Tough Max
ZTE Axon 9 Pro
From the unusual stands for wireless charging, we can single out the new TV from Asus - Designo Curve MX34VQ. More precisely, the leg on which it stands. It is made in the form of an oval platform, on which the smartphone is placed for charging. It even has a backlight. Asus, following modern trends, has made the new device not only beautiful, but also useful. True, the price "bites".