Roughly 18 years ago while I was in college for my Telecommunications Management degree, I was fascinated by something I saw at the end of one of my hefty textbooks. Following definitions of dense wave division multiplexing and private branch exchange (PBX) systems there was a note on the future of the technology which described wireless energy transmission. When we got to that point in class there were questions and debates on what exactly it meant. Focused energy transmission sounds a lot like a weapon out of ‘Star Trek’, not something that could possibly be a thing in the 2000s…
What is it?
This feeling and impression stuck with me up until I started hearing a few years ago that a wireless charging standard called qi charging (pronounced chi or ‘chee’ – after the Chinese word describing energy flow). Qi is the name of the standard that’s used with electronics manufacturers and chargers, the actual name of this technology is called inductive charging. Using a combination of magnetic fields and power coming in from the wall, the power tunnels from the coil charger to the coil in the phone (or tablet or compatible device).
Is it safe?
I feel I should say here, I’m not a doctor, physicist (it took me three tries to spell ‘physicist’ sooo…) or anyone who should judge safety for anyone other than myself, so take this for what it’s worth. The relatively low amount of power that goes into both the coils and electromagnetic field for this type of charging has not been found (in any of the research I have personally done) to cause any level of concern for me. The thing I will say is the device will get noticeably warmer after leaving a phone on a charger overnight.
Should I invest?
I received the Anker Qi Charging Stand as a gift for Christmas, and honestly, I love it (note as of the time of this writing I’ve had only a solid month with it). In combination with my new Pixel 5, the only thing I’ve noticed is the phone device gets a bit warm after charging overnight but it’s warm and not hot. Not a lot to say here, it’s a charger and it works. Since I use it for charging overnight or maybe while I’m getting ready in the morning if I don’t charge it overnight – it’s not a super fast charge but it works for exactly what I need it for.
