Digital Technology Trends
The NFC is present in more and more devices. We use it on our mobiles for all kinds of functions, paying with the mobile being one of the most common. To work, the NFC has a small copper coil, and with its new standard, the NFC Forum wants it to be used to implement wireless charging in any device with NFC.
Currently, all mobile phones with wireless charging have a massive coil on the back to use wireless charging. NFC operates on the same principle, but it has only been used to transmit information and not to charge devices until now.
For this reason, the NFC Forum has announced the Wireless Charging Specification (WLC), which will allow devices such as chargers, mobiles, wireless headphones, smart pens such as the Apple Pencil, or even controllers, with a single antenna, transfer the power of up to 1 W to any device. In turn, it can also be used to carry out communications as before.
WLC: wireless charging comes to NFC
Although one watt is very little power, it is actually enough to charge a smartwatch or wireless headphones, since it is probably equivalent to 5 volts and 200 mA, close to the 500 mA offered by a standard USB port and current, and that for example, it can allow you to charge devices overnight without having to connect them to the power The frequency used is the same 13.56 MHz that is now used in the NFC.
Also, as almost all mobile phones on the market have NFC, manufacturers can quickly implement this reverse charging system. Placing the mobile on a smart speaker would allow us to make the music play automatically and receive some charge.
The same could happen with remote control on the console, assuming that on top of it, there was a wireless charging system with NFC so that we never have to worry about connecting the remote to the power. Reversible wireless charging is already offered in current mobile phones, but only in those with standard wireless charging.
Looking ahead to the next few years, it is expected that Apple, Sony, Google, Samsung, or Huawei will implement this new function since they are members of the NFC Forum, where the first three are sponsors of the association.
At the moment, it is not known when it will hit the market. The good thing about this new standard is that it will be integrated by all manufacturers, instead of each one working on a unique and proprietary solution as is the case with some reverse wireless charging systems, or as even OnePlus has done with wireless charging in its new mobiles, where the fastest only works with its official charger.
Interestingly, last year there were rumors that Apple was developing a “bilateral” wireless charging system for the iPhone 11, but it did not finally see the light for “efficiency reasons.”
There is no rumor about this year, but since the standard has been published now, we will likely have to wait at least until next year to see it included in the first mobiles.
