Everything Should Wirelessly Charge Your iPhone

Samsung today unveiled the SE370 monitor, which looks like a typical, sexy, flat-screen device with a nice metal base. But where this display differs is that Samsung added a Qi wireless charger in the monitor stand. Set the smartphone on the base and it charges as you do your desktop computing.

Not familiar with Qi? Pronounced "chee," it's an inductive power standard, courtesy of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), that has been around since 2010. Qi is a low-power (below 5 watts) method of getting power, letting supported devices trickle-charge over time as long as they are touching (the sexy term is "coupled") within 5 millimeters. Typically, there's a transmission pad with a receiver on top. WPC is also working on resonant charging where distances can increase to 45mm, so the transmitter could be under the desk, for example.

Despite Qi not becoming a household name, it's had a few gains.

Earlier this year, IKEA started selling furniture that integrated Qi charging via little inductive pads built right into the surface of tables. In fact, the furniture retailer will be launching a full line of Qi-friendly chargers to add to desks or other products. No drilling required.

"Qi hotspots" are also cropping up. Major airports like JFK and LAX have added many public Qi chargers. Even cars—specifically the Lexus NX for now—are adding Qi to the center console.

My hope: eventually wireless chargers be built into every kitchen counter, coffee table, hotel night stand, lamp base, alarm clock, electric toothbrush charger, drink warmer, mouse pad, keyboard, toilet tank, and lightsaber. If it plugs in and/or has a flat surface, it might as well have a wireless charging transmitter on top from Qi or its even lesser-known competitor, Power Matters Alliance (PMA). The latter makes the Powermat, which has been embraced by AT&T and Starbucks. Both provide tech to do inductive charging, just at different wavelengths.

Still, it's nowhere near enough. Wireless charging needs ubiquity. But there's one thing holding it back.

Here at PCMag, we've only reviewed a few products with Qi, like the Incipio offGrid Portable Backup Battery 4,000mAh with Qi (which we didn't exactly like) and Tylt Vu Wireless Charger (which was a little better). WPC claims over 200 members with big names like LG, Samsung, Sony, and Verzion Wireless.

There are several phones that support Qi charging, including our top rated Samsung Galaxy S6 Active ($399.94 at Amazon). The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge mix PMA and Qi tech—they'll charge any transmission pad. So it's no wonder that Samsung's new monitor supports wireless charging. About 100 million smartphones will ship this year with built-in wireless charging, yet it's seldom trumpeted as a big deal.

What's the one thing that could cause wireless charging to fall by the wayside? None of those phones are the iPhone. Because Apple doesn't care about wireless charging.

Or does it?

Right now, the only way to get Qi on an Apple iPhone is to get a specialized cover with Qi receiver built in, or use the $35 iQi device that fits under most iPhone cases. It works as long as said case is less than 5mm thick.

However, if Apple were to fully embrace wireless charging for iPhone—make it a priority, make it work flawlessly—it would change charging as we know it. It's already played with the tech: the Apple Watch's wireless charging is based on Qi's open standard! Yet the watch comes instead with a cord that uses a magnetic clasp, not just gravity, to stay connected. It's reminiscent of Apple's beloved MagSafe power connector, the kind of plug that won't break when someone kicks the cord. Guess what, Cupertino? Real wireless charging would be even safer.

Apple doesn't like using other people's standards. Just look at the Lightning connector, which it selected over the more prevalent, generic micro-USB. We're probably lucky the iPhone supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Even the vice president of marketing development at the Wireless Power Consortium has said he doubts Apple would ever use Qi on iPhones. That's led to some speculation that Apple might go its own way, creating its own branded (and patented) method of wirelessly sending electricity. It's already got some patents to that effect, using near field magnetic resonance (NFMR).

Speculation on what Apple may or may not do can, and will, always run rampant. I'm here to just make a simple plea: Apple, c'mon, stay on the cutting edge. Make this Qi (or whatever standard) happen for the iPhone, so the wireless transmitters will continue to spread to all furniture and appliances, making charging easier for everyone in the future.