According to a new report, Sony is looking to implement wireless charging in its next generation of Xperia smartphones that will arrive in the second half of 2014. While wireless charging is not a new concept and the now dead Palm even released some phones with this feature, the reality is that with current technology, a wireless charge can take double or triple the time versus just plugging in your phone. Additionally, battery sizes have gotten considerably bigger since Palm introduced their smartphones, resulting in another obstacle for the technology. So why is it that Sony is looking to implement this? Because they’ve been able to develop a new chipset that can pump out more power than ever.

Unlike previous charging solutions that could only pump out 5-watts of power, Sony has been able to solve the issue of high power transfer without frying the receiving device. This has resulted in Sony’s being able to push 10-15-watts of wireless power to smartphones which would in return fully charge a device like the Xperia Z in under an hour. This is achieved by Rohm Co, the company behind the control chips which include enhanced control circuitry capable of keeping heat generation down. The specifications currently being finalized by the Wireless Power Consortium for wireless charging under the Qi international standard. While wireless charging has been mostly a gimmick now that resulted in a wow factor when first shown with little benefit in the long run, this new development might help usher in the era of cordless charging and Sony will likely be at the forefront of it.

Discuss:

Do you want to see wireless charging built in to all mobile devices?

[Via Nikkei]