What is Qi Wireless Charging and How Does it Work?

If you’ve ever dabbled in Kung Fu or have an interest in Chinese history and culture, you may have heard the word Qi before. It’s pronounced ‘chee’ and the literal translation is ‘vapor,’ ‘gas,’ ‘air,’ or ‘breath.’ However, it’s best interpreted as meaning ‘energy flow.’ If you have an hour to kill, the Qi Wikipedia page is so interesting that one of our team immediately renewed his library membership after reading it. He’s now got a pile of books on his desk that’s so big, it’s a little intimidating. 

But hang on…what does this have to do with mobile phones? Well, outside of acupuncture, Feng-shui, the history of aikido, and other subjects that a certain site editor is obsessed with, Qi is also a type of wireless charging.  

And believe it or not, despite what you might have assumed while reading that sentence, it isn’t just another name for MagSafe charging. There are similarities, but it’s not the same thing. 

Qi Wireless Charging for Beginners

Qi wireless charging is a reliable alternative to classic wired charging. It was originally developed in 2008 by the Wireless Power Consortium and has grown to become one of the most popular forms of wireless charging. 

Qi has been adopted by a huge variety of brands and become an industry standard. If you’ve ever refilled your Samsung Galaxy without plugging it in, you’re already familiar with Qi charging.

How Qi Charging Works

This helpful charging method relies on electromagnetic induction. We’re going to channel our inner science and engineering nerds here, but it involves two sets of specialized coils, one in the device and one in the charger. In short:

• Power transmission: It starts when you plug the charger into a power source. This runs an alternating current through a transmitter coil and generates an electromagnetic field. 

• Power conversion: You then place your smartphone (or tablet, smartwatch, etc…) on the charging pad. The receiver coil catches the magnetic field, converts it into a suitable direct current (DC), and uses this to fill the battery. 

• Smart communication: Your device and the charging pad send signals back and forth to regulate the flow of power. This can help alter the charging speeds and even shut it off completely when full. 

There are also built-in safety mechanisms that can detect any issues and prevent energy wastage. Qi chargers are clever, and if an errant quarter or key finds its way to the pad, it’ll recognize it as a foreign object and won’t try to charge it.  

The Benefits

There are several distinct advantages to Qi charging:

• It’s easy: there are no cables cluttering up the place, and you literally just put your phone on a charge pad. It’s about as difficult as putting a mug on a coaster. 

• Less chance of damage: phone charging sockets are vulnerable to wear and tear, not to mention clogging. With Qi charging, there’s nothing to plug in, and the risk of damage through regular use is significantly lower. 

• It’s safer: the odds of a regular phone charger overheating and catching fire aren’t high, but it’s never zero. However, Qi-certified technology has extra safeguards built into it. The danger of fire is all but nonexistent. 

• The battery lasts longer: wired charging exposes your phone battery to higher temperatures, and over time, this can reduce the capacity and lifespan. Qi charging actively regulates the temperature to prevent this, so the battery will keep working efficiently.

The Drawbacks

That being said, it’s not all milkshakes and happiness. There are a few drawbacks to Qi charging, although realistically speaking, these are all relatively minor:

• It’s slower than wired charging: the heat-regulation technology will prevent damage and help your phone live longer, but as a side effect, it also makes charging slower. The average speed is 7.5W to 15W, which is significantly less than the 20 to 45W seen with wired chargers. 

• You can’t use your phone while charging: it has to remain on the pad for the process to work. Therefore, you can’t just pick it up and carry on with the YouTube video you were enjoying before the battery ran out, you’ll have to wait until it finishes charging. 

• Alignment can be irritating: this is less of an issue on Qi chargers made after 2023 (more on that later), but older Qi devices could sometimes be difficult to line up properly. This could result in awkward and annoying scenarios where your phone just refuses to charge! 

Are You Sure it’s not Identical to MagSafe Charging? 

Yes, quite certain, although as with all tech subjects, there is some nuance to be found. Qi charging is not MagSafe charging, but there are undeniable similarities. 

The difference is that MagSafe uses magnetic alignment to get a precise connection, whereas Qi charging doesn’t. MagSafe devices make a distinctive (and satisfying) snap when connected, and you don’t get that with Qi. 

Plus, they are legally distinct. MagSafe was developed by Apple and is used exclusively on their own products. Qi charging is more universal, so it can be used on a wider variety of devices. 

So, where does the nuance come in? Good question. The delineation between them has become blurred with the advent of Qi2 charging in 2023. This recent invention is the next evolutionary stage of Qi charging, and yes, it involves magnets. The Wireless Power Consortium collaborated with Apple to develop it, and it looks as if it’ll become the new industry standard. 

This was a rare example of Apple stepping outside its closed technical ecosystem and sharing its work with outsiders. Age-old questions like “Why doesn’t my Apple watch charge on my wireless pad?” are going to become irrelevant in the coming years. 

Qi Charging: Not a Cable in Sight

Qi charging is a fascinating piece of technology that’s easy to take for granted. As you’ve probably guessed, we’re all very nerdy here at Ghostek, and developments like this are reminiscent of the futuristic gadgets we’d see on sci-fi shows growing up. The idea that you could recharge a phone without plugging it into a wall socket seemed far-fetched only a short time ago. 

And if all this talk has you thinking about phone accessories, we’ve got you covered. You can find a variety of chargers and other gadgets right here at Ghostek. Have a browse and see if there’s anything you like.