Apple's new iPhone 8 and iPhone X support wireless charging, which means that users can simply place them on the charging pad while charging, and no longer need to plug in a Lightning cable. Clearly, wireless charging is easy to use at home - users can put the charging pad on the nightstand, desk or hallway table.
While there are some less obvious benefits to the iPhone's wireless charging capability, there is also a big downside - one that could cause major damage to the planet's ecology.
The disadvantages of wireless charging
Wireless charging poses an environmental hazard
Let's talk about the downside of wireless charging first, because it's important. Wireless charging pads are inefficient, and depending on the design and the location of the user's phone on the charging pad, the charging efficiency can be between 30% and 80%. This means that, even under ideal conditions, 20% of the electricity is wasted. Although charging efficiency has been improving, the efficiency of low-power charging (such as mobile phones) is lower than that of high-power charging (such as electric cars) - the efficiency is close to that of wired charging.
For every device, charging efficiency may not be a big issue. But Apple sells 10 iphones every second, which means that wireless charging pads will soon be commonplace, tens of millions in the coming years, and the waste of electricity will be enormous. That's bad news for the planet and for climate change.
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, announced at the 2017 iPhone launch event that Apple was working to \"make the wireless charging experience even better,\" but didn't mention charging efficiency. Mr. Schiller has focused on the ability to charge several devices simultaneously from the same charging pad, which communicates with the iPhone and displays the charge on the lock screen. Charging efficiency is undoubtedly a priority issue, so Apple may promote the entire mobile phone industry to improve wireless charging efficiency.
You can't move your iPhone
Another big downside to wireless charging, Cult of Mac says, is that it makes it much more difficult to use your phone while charging. With wired charging, users can move their phone while charging - although limited by the length of the cable. When using wireless charging technology, the phone must be placed on the charging pad, which is fine if the user just plays music while the phone is charging, but it is a pain to let the phone complete other functions. Because you can't pick up the phone to type text, even sending a text message is difficult.
The benefits of wireless charging technology
Less wear on Lightning cables
On the other hand, the popularity of wireless charging for iphones will reduce the use of cables. The wear on the cable will be reduced to almost zero. Simply plug the wireless charger AirPower into the power supply, and everything is fine, so users no longer need to plug in and out of the phone frequently, reducing the wear and tear between the Lightning cable and the port
Convenient, especially when charging multiple devices
The biggest benefit of wireless charging is convenience. Wireless charging has little impact on mobile phones, but when all electronic products support wireless charging, the convenience brought to users is more interesting. Apple says future models of AirPods wireless headphones will come with AirPower-enabled charging cases, so users can charge them simply by placing them on a charging pad. The Apple Pencil stylus is in desperate need of wireless charging, and its current charging method is a joke.
Wireless charging is ideal for small electronics. Imagine a charging pad in your desk drawer where you can put your iPhone's spare batteries to recharge, keeping them fully charged when you need them.
In addition, users only need one charging pad to charge multiple devices. For example, users don't have to unplug their iPhone while a colleague charges it.
Wireless charging helps improve safety
Using wireless charging means users don't have to connect their iPhone to an unknown cable, which is where all the malicious stuff hides. Placing an iPhone on a charging pad should be safe -- unless a hacker develops a malicious device that uses wireless charging, which so far doesn't exist. With the iPhone supporting charging pads, we can expect them to appear in hotels, restaurants, and other public places in the near future.
According to Cult of Mac, the popularity of wireless charging pads could change the way we work and live. Instead of carrying a huge spare battery with you when you go out, you can charge your phone by placing it on a public charging pad you see. Charging pads may become as common as free WiFi.
Many people are quite satisfied with using a cable to charge their phone, but as more charging pads become available, they may change their charging methods, especially if the iPhone X or iPhone 8 has native support for wireless charging.
Imagine the following scenario, when visiting a friend's home, if we find that the phone battery is low, we usually ask a friend if he can charge the phone. If there is a charging pad placed on the coffee table, we don't need to ask friends, and directly put the phone on the charge. How about that? It's convenient.