What is wireless charging and how does it work?

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Wat is draadloos opladen en hoe werkt het?

Cables can be incredibly inconvenient. They always get tangled, break easily and take up space. That is why more and more people are opting for wireless charging. Wireless charging, or Qi charging, is possible with more and more devices. With wireless charging, for example, you place your smartphone on a charger and your phone starts charging automatically. You no longer have to plug in a cable. Phones with MagSafe or with a magnetic cover can also be connected via a magnet. Not every phone is Qi-compatible. Pay attention to this before you buy a wireless charger or power bank.

How does wireless charging work?

Wireless charging works by means of two coils. On the one hand, the charging coil, which is connected to the wall socket or other power source. This coil creates a magnetic field. On the other hand, the receiving coil, which is in your phone, earphones or other device. When you place the receiving coil on the charging coil, current is transferred from device to device via a magnetic field.

For this, the device must lie exactly on the charger. For example, the device cannot be a centimeter away from the charger. MagSafe is incredibly useful, because of the strong magnet in your phone and in the charger, the phone always lies well on the charger. The more directly the coils lie on each other, the more efficiently your device charges.

Wireless power banks

What is Qi charging?

Qi is an official quality and compatibility standard for wireless charging. This means a few things:

  • The charger is protected against overheating, overvoltage and short circuit. This prevents damage to your device. The charger also recognizes whether a compatible device is on the charger. If this is not the case, the charger stops charging to prevent damage.
  • If a charger is Qi-certified and your device is too, you know it will work.
  • It minimizes energy loss and provides 60-75% efficiency.
  • Can provide power up to 15 Watts as long as your device supports it.

Benefits of wireless charging

The biggest advantage of wireless charging is of course that you no longer need cables. This means you no longer have to deal with tangled cables or a cable with the wrong connection.

You simply place your device on the charger and it starts charging. Much easier than plugging in a cable. Cable breaks are also a thing of the past with wireless charging. You also no longer need a specific cable for each device, as long as your device supports Qi. In addition, there is no more wear and tear on the ports of your devices and chargers. This means your phones and other devices last longer.

Disadvantages of wireless charging

Wireless charging is a lot slower than charging via a cable. For example, a cable can charge at 140W, while wireless charging can charge at about 20W. That's why it takes longer for your device to fully charge.

In addition, wireless chargers are also a lot less efficient. You lose more energy during charging than when charging with a cable. For example, with a power bank this can be a noticeable difference. With a power bank with cable the efficiency is about 85%, with wireless charging this is between 60 and 75%. With a wireless power bank you charge your phone less often. You also have to make sure that the coils are well overlapped, otherwise the efficiency will be even less or the charger will not work at all.

When you use wireless charging, more heat is released by the charger and the device. This extra heat can potentially reduce the battery life of your phone, smartwatch or earbuds. With modern wireless chargers, however, this extra heat is very limited.

Finally, wireless chargers are often more expensive than regular chargers. This is because the technology in the charger is more complicated.

Which phones can be charged wirelessly?

There are many phones that charge wirelessly, we can't name them all, but here are the phones of a few brands that support wireless charging. Is your phone not listed and you don't know if you can charge wirelessly with your phone? Then ask our customer service.

  • Apple

    • iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
    • iPhone X / Xs / Xs Max
    • iPhone Xr
    • iPhone 11 / 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max
    • iPhone SE (2020) / SE (2022)
    • iPhone 12 / 12 Mini / 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max
    • iPhone 13 / 13 Mini / 13 Pro / 13 Pro Max
    • iPhone 14 / 14 Plus / 14 Pro / 14 Pro Max
    • iPhone 15 / 15 Plus / 15 Pro / 15 Pro Max
    • iPhone 16 / 16 Plus / 16 Pro / 16 Pro Max

  • Samsung

    • Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge / S6 Edge+
    • Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge
    • Galaxy S8 / S8+
    • Galaxy S9 / S9+
    • Galaxy S10 / S10e / S10+
    • Galaxy S20 / S20 FE / S20+ / S20 Ultra
    • Galaxy S21 / S21 FE / S21+ / S21 Ultra
    • Galaxy S22 / S22+ / S22 Ultra
    • Galaxy S23 / S23+ / S23 Ultra
    • Galaxy S24 / S24+ / S24 Ultra
    • Galaxy S25 / S25+ / S25 Ultra
    • Galaxy Note 8 / Note 9 / Note 10 / Note 10+ / Note 20 / Note 20 Ultra
    • Galaxy Z Flip (from version 2)
    • Galaxy Z Fold (from version 2)

  • Google

    • Pixel 3 / 3 XL
    • Pixel 4 / 4 XL
    • Pixel 5
    • Pixel 6 / 6 Pro
    • Pixel 7 / 7 Pro
    • Pixel 8 / 8 Pro
    • Pixel 9 / 9 Pro

  • OnePlus

    • OnePlus 8 Pro
    • OnePlus 9 / 9 Pro
    • OnePlus 10 Pro
    • OnePlus 11
    • OnePlus 12
    • OnePlus 13

  • Xiaomi

    • Mi 9 / Mi 10 / Mi 11
    • Xiaomi 12 / 12 Pro
    • Xiaomi 13 / 13 Pro
    • Xiaomi 14 / 14 Pro
    • Xiaomi 15 Ultra

  • Huawei

    • Mate 20 Pro
    • Mate 30 Pro
    • P30 Pro
    • P40 Pro
    • Mate 50 Pro

Conclusion

Wireless charging can be very convenient. It is a lot easier and also ensures less wear and tear on your devices. There are also some disadvantages, for example the slower charging compared to cable charging. In general, wireless charging is highly recommended as long as your phone supports it.

View all our wireless power banks

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