What travellers need to know about wireless charging and the latest tech coming to stores soon
With the spread of smartphones that support cable-free charging, people in hotels, airports and public spaces will soon be finding more wireless charging pads, on which you only need to place your phone to charge the battery
Few travellers can pack a bag that isn’t stuffed with cables these days, but that could all be about to change.
When Apple announced last October that its iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X smartphones, as well as Apple Watch 3 and its wireless AirPods earbuds, are compatible with wireless charging, this instantly became a new buzz-phrase in the smartphone world.
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Could we all soon be travelling untethered? Wireless charging pads and mats have been available for a few years for users of flagship Android phones, but Apple’s adoption of the tech could kick-start a wireless revolution in public spaces, meaning that wireless charging pads would appear more frequently in airports, hotels and restaurants.
Although the pads themselves have to be plugged into a wall socket or USB port to get power, the user need only place their phone on it to recharge the battery. For dedicated Apple users with multiple products, perhaps the killer application isn’t merely the lack of cables, but the fact that it will be possible to simultaneously recharge a phone, a smart watch and wireless earphones.
Apple won’t release its own charging pad – called AirPower – until later this year, but the company has confirmed that it will use the same industry-wide standard Qi technology that Android phone-makers already use.
