How does wireless charging work?

Wireless charging eliminates the need to attach a cable to a device just to power it up and charge its battery. Nowadays, wireless charging allows you to simply place your device, like a phone or tablet, on top of a wireless charging pad that is plugged into a regular AC outlet.

There are three types of wireless charging: radio charging, inductive charging, and resonance charging. Radio charging uses radio waves to charge a wide range of small devices that require low power, like wireless keyboards and computer mice, medical devices, hearing aids, smartphones, music players, and smartwatches. You’ll only have to connect the transmitter to a socket (or in the case of wireless keyboards and mice, a USB port) so that it can send radio signals to your receiving device. However, this will only work if both devices are configured to the same frequency.

Inductive charging, on the other hand, requires you to place your device on top of a wireless charging pad that is connected to a power source. You have to make sure, though, that the contact points on both devices are aligned with each other to allow efficient charging. Inside, the wireless charging pad’s induction coil creates an alternating electromagnetic field within the pad’s base to transfer energy to the secondary coil on the receiving device, which then converts the energy back to the electric current that will be used to power up or charge the receiving device’s battery.

Like inductive charging, resonance utilizes copper coils on both devices for the transfer of energy, except it isn’t as sensitive to coil misalignment. This means a wireless charging pad that utilizes resonance charging works even when both devices’ coils are not directly aligned with each other. Thus, you can charge multiple nearby devices at the same time. It is also the wireless charging method used for providing a significant amount of power, such as for large computers, electric cars, and even robots.

Some major players in the wireless charging industry include Samsung, Bezalel, Qualcomm, Powermat, and Texas Instruments. These companies, along with other key industry players, offer varied approaches to wireless charging—from using rings to charge devices, to wireless charging pads and cases. Mobile phone manufacturers have also jumped into the wireless charging game by offering models that are fully compatible with the technology