Friday, February 27, 2015

Samsung Galaxy S6 Wireless Charging Confirmed


Ahead of the expected launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Samsung S6 Edge on Sunday, third-party accessory makers are getting their stories lined up and are jostling for recognition in the hectic run-up. It also means that the peripheral announcements can tell us more about Samsung’s hardware.
Ahead of the expected launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Samsung S6 Edge on Sunday, third-party accessory makers...

We’ve looked at battery issues in the Samsung Galaxy S6 here on Forbes, noting that a weak point of the design is the smaller battery capacity in the hardware. Having experience wireless charging in a number of devices, I argued that the inclusion of wireless charging would be a good compromise to offset the smaller battery. There were indications from the supply chain that Samsung was looking to fit wireless charging into the Galaxy S6 range, and Samsung’s own blog posts heavily hinted that it would ooh to accommodate all the wireless charging standards in ‘new hardware’ during 2015.

Now the accessory manufacturers are revealing their hands, and thanks to one wireless charging accessory manufacturer, we now know that wireless charging in the Samsung Galaxy S6 will support the Qi standard as a minimum.

Netherlands-based company Zens is a “market leader in the field of wireless charging” with a wide range of accessories, and its press release today confirms the South Korean plans:

    …is proudly presenting the fact that all of its wireless charging solutions can be used with the new Samsung Galaxy S6. Zens’ solutions introduce comfort and user-friendliness into both the working and living environment. Now that the all new Samsung Galaxy S6 will support wireless charging ‘out of the box’, every user can enjoy wireless charging from day one. As all Zens’ products are Qi certified and feature a multi-coil solution, they will work flawlessly with the new Samsung flagship.

Wireless charging is a transformational technology, and while it does require consumers to purchase a charging pad (or hope that any carrier bundle includes one!), the benefits in terms of the mobile rule of ABC (Always Be Charging) is huge. It’s fast and easy, and while it might not seem a huge step up from a cable, now that I have used it, it is on my ‘must have’ list of requirements in ‘the perfect smartphone’.

With competing standards and no major handset manufacturer stepping up to equip the flagship handsets with the technology (neither the Lumia handsets of Windows Phone or the Nexus handset count), wireless charging has struggled to become mainstream. It’s use in the Galaxy S6 family, along with a potential unifying approach that can work with any charging plate no matter the standard used, can only help wireless charging.

It’s also heartening to see that Samsung has been working with the accessory industry to ensure there is second- and third-line opportunities for additional sales as the new Galaxy is launched, and not a few weeks after once everyone has publicly seen the handset.

Stay with the Forbes Tech Team for coverage, news, and analysis from MWC, including the launch of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.

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