Vous avez probablement entendu parler de ces fameux chargeurs sans fil. Est-ce de la sorcellerie ? Est-ce de la magie noire ? Comment l'électricité pourrait-elle passer d'une station de charge jusqu'à votre téléphone sans qu'il n'y ait réellement de contact ? Il y a bien une explication rationnelle et la rédaction de SFR Actus va vous l'expliquer en bonne et due forme.

How does a wireless charger work?

To activate wireless charging, you need two elements: a wireless charging station and a compatible smartphone. We will come back to this second point later. The station must of course be connected to the mains, the electricity that will charge your phone does not come out of nowhere. Once you put your dear mobile on it, it's going to start charging. This, thanks to magnetic induction, also known as Qi technology.

What is magnetic induction, or Qi technology?

Magnetic induction charging is far from new, since it was introduced in 2008. However, it took some time before it was really usable in everyday life and compatible smarthpones were sold by the different brands.

To simply explain the wireless charge, your station will create a magnetic field all around it. In this magnetic field, we'll find an alternating current. Anything in the right perimeter (which is very limited) will be able to receive energy if it has the right receiver.

And this is an important point: any device cannot receive wireless electricity. He must have a suitable technology, the famous Qi technology (to pronounce "who"), which will allow him to convert electric waves into energy to recharge his battery.

What are the advantages of the wireless charger?

Wireless charging has several advantages: it is quite convenient. No longer need to connect a cable to recharge your smartphone, the more you need to go looking for your damn charger whose location you have forgotten, while your phone falls dangerously below the 5% battery bar.

The wireless charging station usually takes the form of a pebble or a thick disk, just put your smartphone on it and the trick is done: it is supported. Depending on its size, it can also allow you to recharge two phones at the same time. Simple, efficient and extremely practical.

The magnetic induction charge also has a very promising future. Even if we are not there yet, imagine, in several years' time, being able to install all your electrical devices close to such a station: they could then operate without having to plug them in. No more multiplugs, no more cables, enough air to carry the electricity. But for now, we're far from there yet...

What are the disadvantages of a wireless charger?

While wireless charging has many advantages, it also has several drawbacks, unfortunately. Starting with the charging time: it is much longer than with a traditional charger. This is for a simple reason: not only is the load less powerful, but also during the transmission of electricity, energy can be lost. This is a convenient way to charge your smartphone at night, or when you spend the whole day at home. But a little less when you need to recharge your phone quickly before leaving.

The other drawback is that when your phone is loaded, its use is quite limited. If it is no longer installed on its station, it no longer recharges. So you can easily look at your screen, take a look at your notifications and quickly write a message. But for real control, it's not really ideal.

Which smartphones are compatible with a wireless charger?

Worldwide, no less than one phone in four sold is compatible with wireless charging. As a result, to date, more than a billion phones sold are compatible with wireless charging. Qi technology is therefore extremely widespread and very accessible.

Most of the latter models are compatible with this magnetic induction charge. At Samsung, Korean smartphones are compatible with wireless charges from the Galaxy S6. The Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 + and S21 ultra, as well as the Galaxy Z fold 3 and the Z flip 3 5G are also compatible with Qi technology.

The same is true for Huawei, which has incorporated such a feature since its Mate 20. Thus, the magnetic induction charge can be found on the latest Pro models, such as the P40 Pro or the P 30 Pro. In general, wireless charging can be found on all high-end phones.

Finally, on the Apple side, wireless charging is available from the iPhone 8. However, to charge your smartphone by magnetic induction, you will need a special MagSafe accessory. This is the only way to recharge your iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro without plugging them in.

What is the price of a wireless charger?

Luckily for you, wireless chargers are not very expensive. Depending on the model you are interested in, its load power (and therefore speed), its ability to charge two phones at the same time, you can get away with it for between 20 and 50 euros. Enough to try this new technology without ruining you.

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Sources: Flapcase, Selectra