One of the widely rumored key features of the upcoming iPhone 8 is its wireless charging capabilities. While the feature has been available in Android handsets for years, the iPhone 8 would mark the first iOS smartphone that would finally support the popular charging system. If recent rumors are any indication, however, it seems like Apple fans are in for a major disappointment.
According to a recent report from Japanese tech website MacOtakara , Apple would indeed be introducing wireless charging with the iPhone 8. The only problem is that the Cupertino-based tech giant is only supporting Qi Standard Power Profile, which charges devices with just 7.5W, despite the fact that Qi 1.2 Extended Power Profile, which charges smartphones at 15W, is already available on the market.
This means that while the iPhone 8 would indeed have wireless charging features, users of the device would have to get used to some seriously slow-speed charging. Conventional wireless chargers are already slow compared to current-generation fast chargers on the market, but with Apple adopting the older Qi Standard Power Profile, the iPhone 8 would likely charge significantly slower than its Android counterparts.
This is not all the bad news there is about Apple’s upcoming device, however. As stated by a 9to5Mac report, rumors have recently emerged stating that Apple is requiring wireless charger manufacturers to license their devices in the company’s Made for iPhone (MfI) program. This means that any third-party wireless charger, such as AirCharge’s public Qi charging ports, would be completely incompatible with Apple’s latest flagship mobile device.
Apple has always been quite focused on keeping its technologies exclusive . Thus, these new rumors about third-party wireless chargers being incompatible with the iPhone 8 are quite plausible. Unfortunately for Apple, however, such a strategy might end up putting the iPhone 8 at a disadvantage in the market. Wireless charging, after all, is all about convenience; hence, any limits placed on the technology would end up inconveniencing consumers in the long run.
The iPhone 8 would undoubtedly be one of the most prominent mobile devices that would be released this year. Overall, rumors about the device are extremely encouraging, and while these latest reports about its wireless charging features are rather disappointing, there is very little doubt that Apple’s latest flagship handset would go down in mobile tech history as one of the most important devices the Cupertino-based tech giant has ever made.
More detailed look at #iPhone8 front panel.
(Interesting fact: schematic image was posted on Apr 17 – 4 month ago https://t.co/zsBZrvZmK6 ) pic.twitter.com/WtMRXRkoId
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) August 23, 2017
Apple has not announced the official release date for the iPhone 8, though speculations are high that the mobile device will be unveiled sometime in September.
[Featured Image by BARS graphics/Shutterstock]
