How Fast can Wireless Charging be?

While wireless charging is pretty much in its early stages, the technology is evolving rapidly and is anticipated to take over in the next few years.

A wireless charger works by creating a magnetic field that your smartphone or other device absorbs to gain energy. When you place your device on a wireless charging pad, a built-in coil in your device receives and “harvests” energy from the magnetic field, using it to power the battery.

Qi – pronounced as “chee” is the main wireless standard. It is the standard we’ll be primarily talking about in this article.

That said, is wireless charging fast? If so, how fast can it be?

Read on to find out.

Just How Fast is Wireless Charging Right Now?

Qi offers two specifications for charging mobile phones: Basic Power Profile (BPP) and Extended Power Profile (EPP).

These profiles increase power transfer to 15 watts without wasting the extra electricity as heat. That means the built-in coil inside your devices gets a 300 percent power boost and can therefore recharge your phone faster without overheating.

While the two profiles are technically different, EPP wireless charging is faster than BPP. And, because Qi is an open standard, EPP can be customized to support even faster charging. 

Still, your kind of smartphone and its wattage can significantly impact how fast and efficiently a wireless charger can ramp up your device. 

For instance, pairing a wireless charger with a fast charge-enabled phone can recharge your device to about 50 percent in 30 minutes or a full charge in 90 minutes.

Even though this is relatively slower than wired charging, it is significantly faster than it used to be a while ago.

What’s it With the Wattage?

Wattage is the overall measurement of power that flows through your charger.

While you’d expect a high wattage charger to recharge your phone faster, that isn’t necessarily true. In some situations, you’re better off with a 10-watt wireless charge instead of a 15-watt model.

So, when shopping for a wireless charger, you need to look beyond the wattage. You should also consider your phone power capability and how you plan to use the charger.

Ideally, 10 watts is all you need to get the fastest possible wireless charge out of your devices. That goes for phones like LG G7 ThinQ, Samsung Galaxy devices, and Pixel 3. Meanwhile, iPhones are currently capped at 7.5 watts, even though you can buy a future-proof charge for your Apple devices.

So, whether you buy a 10 watt or a 15-watt version, the charger will automatically adjust to the maximum power output that your phone can handle, which in most cases is lower than 10 watts.  

What Types of Wireless Chargers Do We Have Now?

There are two main types of wireless chargers. The choice of one version over the other depends on whether you have an iPhone or an Android smartphone.

To wirelessly charge your iPhone, you simply need to place it on a wireless charging pad connected to the power. Your phone will begin to charge automatically.

If the connection keeps going and out, you can consider taking off your phone’s case so the backrests directly on the wireless charger.

Better yet, you can use the UGREEN 10W Qi wireless charging pad. This charger supports charging through the rubber, plastic, and TPU protective case under 5mm thickness. In addition, it comes with anti-rubber rings on each side to ensure that your phone stays in place during charging.

Wireless charging for Android follows the same procedure described above. All you need is to get a high-quality charger like the max wireless charger for Android phones. 

4 Useful Tips to Maximize Your Wireless Charging Speed

While your phone wattage plays a significant role in determining how fast a wireless charger can be, you can speed up the charging experience by doing the following:

Avoiding Heat

Excess heat negatively affects wireless charging because the amount of power going into the battery reduces as the temperature increases.

Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius can significantly slow down wireless charging. Extreme temperatures can stop charging altogether.

So, use a wireless charger designed to reduce heat-buildup and keep the charging environment at a temperature no more than 30 degrees Celsius.

Turn on Flight Mode While Charging 

It would be best to power off your phone or put it in flight mode when charging wirelessly. If you have to use it, do so sparingly. The less power your device consumes during charging, the less power it requires from the external power source.

Close Background Apps

If you must use any app, you should close any app running up to speed up wireless charging. Most apps remain active in the background when you exit them and keep consuming power to maintain their basic operation.

In addition, make sure that you delete less useful apps and clear your cache regularly.

Turn Off Display While Charging

Turning off your phone’s display can increase charging speed by up to 80% than when the display is on. 

The Bottom Line

Wireless charging is taking off, and with more and more manufacturers getting on board, it’s only a matter of time before it outstrips universal wired charging standards.

Modern wireless charging promises blazing fast speeds, at least in the proprietary space.

Meanwhile, you can leverage current wireless charging speeds by choosing a charger that matches your phone’s wattage capacity.

Which wireless charger are you using? How are the speeds?

If you have any questions regarding wireless charging or would like to know more, please leave a comment below or hit the subscription button.