Samsung talks up wireless charging in the buildup to Galaxy S6 launch

The countdown to Samsung's next big phone launch is at less than two weeks now, and the Korean company is starting to release strategic teasers hinting at the specs we can expect from the new device. Last week, there was the promise of an amazing new camera, whereas today Samsung is putting the spotlight on wireless charging.

Seho Park, a member of Samsung's engineering group, has penned a brief history of wireless charging so far, with a particular focus on Samsung's contributions to its development. A research group was formed at Samsung way back in 2000, whose work was first realized in 2011 with a wireless charging pad for the Droid Charge in the United States. Ever since then, the number, size, and cost of components to make wireless chargers have all been steadily decreasing, while the speed of charging has been increasing. "We have been able to cut the costs of the main components to one tenth of the price in just ten years," says Park.

One of the big stumbling blocks to the wider adoption of wireless charging is the fragmentation of standards, which precludes certainty about whether your device will match the charging stations at your next destination. To address that concern, Samsung leaves the tantalizing note that "last year, components that support multiple standards on a single chip were released [and] it is expected that several of these products will be available to consumers this year." Park refrains from openly associating the next flagship Galaxy smartphone with the innovations of which he speaks, but given the timing of his words, it would be a huge surprise not to see the Galaxy S6 featuring wireless charging, either integrated into the phone itself or (more likely, given the expectation of a metal construction) via an external case.