It is possible, for many users to hear, that their smartphone charging with a power of 5 or 15W does not mean anything. It is normal; It is technical data that, a priori, they do not have to know. But surely they are interested in the fact that, when they connect their device to the electrical current, they can fill its battery in the shortest time possible. That is precisely what this figure refers to; The higher it is, the less time it takes to charge.
With and without cable
Not all phones have the same capacity nor is charging equally fast with all chargers. The truth is that, until now, when it was decided to use a wireless one, the task could take forever compared to a traditional one: the standard used by most models, Qi, offers a power of 7.5W, compared to the 120W that Some cable phones are already included. It is something that is improving little by little, and proof of this is that in recent weeks a second version of this wireless charging standard has been launched that reaches 15W. Curiously, it uses the same magnet system as the iPhone (Apple MagSafe technology), although in this case it is also valid for Android terminals. The key is that the device and charger are firmly joined by the magnets, so the energy loss is residual.
Called Qi2, this technology has already been integrated into the first compatible chargers. And be careful, in order to enjoy it, the devices also have to be prepared: the latest iPhones and the high-end Android devices that are being announced these weeks are.
Is it really that fast?
To check this I used one of the first portable chargers with Qi2 certification: Anker MagGo 3 in 1. In this case, a folding device designed for Apple terminals that, in addition to the smartphone, also serves as headphones and for the Apple company’s smart watch.
How much charging time are we talking about? Normally, I plug my devices into the power when they still have some autonomy and, during the tests of this charger, I have followed the same habit. I give the example of my phone, currently an iPhone 15 Pro. Starting from 10% remaining battery, with Qi2 technology it took 40 minutes to fill up to 50% and, for 100%, you have to wait 1 hour and 50 minutes. It’s about half the time it took with a Qi wireless charger. Even so, it is still much faster to use the cable: with Apple’s own charger, which supports a power of 20W, the battery reaches 50% in 30 minutes and is full in less than an hour. And they are not the fastest on the market by any means.
What I liked about the experience is that, since there is much less power loss than before, the battery does not overheat at all. And this is a great point in favor of extending its useful life.
What other chargers are already compatible with Qi2?
In addition to this charger, Anker already has different models compatible with Qi2 in its catalog depending on the devices to be charged and even a portable wireless battery with this standard. It is, of course, not the only firm that has already adopted it. Belkin, one of the leaders in this sector, already has multiple formats for one, two or three devices. Among them, stands out the BoostCharge Pro, which turns your phone into a bedside clock while charging; an idea very similar to that of Nomad with its Boothcharacterized in turn by its very careful design.
You can follow The USA Print in Facebook and x or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
