Handsets

The Samsung Galaxy S6 could support multiple wireless charging standards

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samsung wireless charging pad

Samsung has been dropping hints about what their latest smartphones will feature through blog posts and press announcements, and now another interesting tidbit has been brought to light. The company’s most recent blog post focuses on wireless charging standards, and the importance of following said standards when deciding to utilize the technology in a consumer product.

At the end of a long blog post trumpeting their accomplishments in helping move wireless charging forward (including a note about being a member of all three wireless charging organizations), Samsung mentioned the availability of chips that can simultaneously support multiple charging standards.

The chip was introduced at some point in 2014 and is expected to find its way inside devices this year. Samsung even went as far as confirming that their “upcoming Galaxy smartphones” would feature the chips, but obviously didn’t confirm which devices they were speaking of.

With Mobile World Congress and Samsung’s big event looming, the timing would seem to suggest that we’ll see it inside the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. It’d be a huge feature to advertise in a time where Samsung has been criticized for apparent stagnation in the area of innovation.

Of course, it’s just as likely that the technology won’t be ready quite that early and they’re instead referring to the next entrant in the Samsung Galaxy Note lineup (a series where they often introduce their most cutting edge innovations). We’ll have to wait until March 1st to know for sure.

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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21 Comments

  1. IMO All Android Phones should now offer wireless charging… Should be a standard feature that everyone is able to enjoy.

    1. I love the use of the word “Android” instead of just “all phones”. =.3

      1. I say it that way because we all know Apple will not go wireless unless they can sell and use a proprietary system that they can only sell themselves.

  2. Hmmm.. how many variations/standards of this are there?

    1. 3, two of which are looking to merge. Unfortunately, qi is the one who will be left out in the cold if that happens.

  3. I’d rather just have a removable battery. This technology is useless to me until it is contactless and reasonably long ranged.

    If I still have to put my phone down on a pad I may as well plug it in and have it charge much faster.

    1. I guess you save wear and tear on the usb port.

    2. It’s just crazy practical to be able to swap out a dead batt with a fully charged one in seconds. That beats any wireless charging. That beats wired charging. And a system for charging external batteries is such a relatively small investment.

      1. No. Because the con to that is having to charge the extra battery, which would require either an extra cradle, or replacing the battery, when the first is full, and switching it out. So you won’t be able to sleep until you put your second battery in your phone. Hope you don’t fall asleep with only one battery charged.

        There are pros and cons to everything, and that’s a con I do not want to deal with. I’d be mad if I forget to charge my extra battery. LoL!!

        1. Eh, not if you’re used to the simple routine. I’ve been doing it for a couple years now and I can’t see myself using a device without a removable battery. It’s been a godsend for me.

          1. Yea. I’m pretty absent minded. So I know I would forget to do those things. LoL!!

            It’s why I prefer to have a power bank. I can just throw that on the charger and not have to worry about my phone.

  4. I’ve never really liked the term wireless charging. It’s not like there’s no wire; it’s just changing where the wire is. Palm devices used to have a cradle for charging/syncing and no one called that wireless.

    1. The old cradle chargers typically had contacts so they still charged by an electrical connection. Today’s wireless charging uses inductive charging, which transfers energy by electromagnetic fields, not by a direct electrical connection. We call data transfer via EM radiation “wireless”, so why wouldn’t we call this “wireless” charging?

    2. Couldn’t you say the same thing about cordless phones?

  5. The only time this is useful is when I’m going to sleep or at the office.

  6. It’s 2015, why isn’t this the norm?

  7. Now if it had the wireless charging ubeam is working on where your phone is charging as soon as you enter the room without having to sit in on a base. Now that would be good.

  8. OMG!! March 1st cannot get here fast enough!! And I say this every year. LoL!!

  9. Let’s just hope you don’t just end up with different carrier backed, Backplates like the LG g3. The current most useful thing I see for wireless charging is cars that have it built in, or can be easily adapted, plugging in usb while driving is a dangerous skill id love to retire. I also am surprised no one legitimate has built a wireless charging battery that fits in your pocket

  10. I have an SGS3 that has wireless charging – and has for years – thanks to a mod from XDA using the parts from a Palm wireless battery door + some copper tape. Works/worked awesome even today. I can charge it on a Palm touchstone & it sticks to it magnetically at am angle.

  11. Wireless charging = confirmed for S6

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