What is Qi and why should I care about it?
If you’ve never heard of Qi before or are just learning about wireless charging, Qi is going to be an important thing to pay attention to! At its core, Qi is the global standard for charging mobile phones wirelessly. Just like how Wifi, Bluetooth, and USB are standards for wireless internet, wireless devices, and plug-and-play devices, Qi is the globally accepted standard for wireless charging. This standard is maintained and developed by more than 600 companies, among which include Apple, LG, Samsung, Sony, and many more. The primary purpose of this collaborative standards group is to develop and uphold this standard so that it can be tested and regulated. This helps to ensure that all Qi-certified devices are guaranteed to not only work with each other, but will also function safely and efficiently.
When shopping for wireless chargers to go along with your new smartphone, it’s really important to watch out for tricky advertising words, such as “Qi-enabled” or “Qi-compatible.” In fact, there are many brands out there that will often lie about being “Qi-certified,” in which case you won’t be able to tell if their products are actually properly certified.
Fortunately, there are some key indicators that you can use to quickly identify if the product that you’re trying to purchase is a legitimate Qi-certified charger! One of the easiest methods to identify illegitimate chargers is if the product itself seems too cheap. Cutting corners with components that do not meet Qi standards means that companies can shave their costs, but it also means that they’re putting consumers at risk of not having the proper power delivery protocols, safety regulations, or temperature regulation. A second way of quickly determining of a product is Qi-certified is to look for the official “Qi” logo. Only companies that are registered with the Wireless Power Consortium (the group of 600+ members) and have their products tested and registered within the WPC database are able able to legally use the “Qi” logo. Lastly, a quick search for the product name in the WPC database will instantly tell you if the product is certified.
Hopefully, this helps to clarify some of the questions that you might come across during your shopping journey when you’re looking for wireless chargers, and we hope that you’ll consider trying out either the DIAL or the DISC and join the wireless revolution!
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