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Two-Way Wireless Charging and Larger Batteries Coming to 2019 iPhones

Monday April 1, 2019 10:06 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple's 2019 iPhones are going to have a two-way wireless charging feature that will allow the iPhone to charge other devices like the AirPods, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo again confirmed in a report sent out to investors today.

Kuo previously mentioned the feature briefly in a February note, and today he goes into a bit more depth about the suppliers who will benefit from the feature.

Two-way wireless charging as demonstrated in the Galaxy S10+
Two-way wireless charging, or bilateral charging, will let the Qi-based iPhones coming in 2019 charge another iPhone or the new ‌AirPods‌ with Wireless Charging Case. You'll essentially be able to charge any Qi-based device with your iPhone, as it will work as a wireless charger itself. From Kuo:
We expect the new 2H19 iPhone models will support two-way wireless charging. Though the iPhone is not the first high-end smartphone to be equipped with two-way wireless charging, this new function could make it more convenient for users to charge the new ‌AirPods‌ and create a better integrated user experience of the iPhone and ‌AirPods‌.
This is a feature that Samsung has already debuted in its 2019 Galaxy smartphones, and in those devices, it's known as Wireless PowerShare. Wireless PowerShare allows the 2019 Galaxy smartphones to charge other Qi-based accessories, including the iPhone.

According to Kuo, suppliers such as Compeq (will supply battery boards) and STMicro (will supply two-way wireless charging controller) stand to benefit from Apple's inclusion of two-way wireless charging as it will increase the average selling price of key components.

To accommodate two-way wireless charging, Kuo believes battery boards included in 2019 iPhones will increase in size, as will battery pack capacity. Kuo says that battery capacities for the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max successor could increase by 10 to 15 percent, while the battery capacity of the 5.8-inch OLED ‌iPhone XS‌ successor could grow by 20 to 25 percent. The iPhone XR successor isn't expected to see much of a gain, though, with Kuo predicting growth of 0 to 5 percent.

Related Roundup: iPhone 11
Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 11 (Buy Now)
[ 188 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

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ipedro
7 months ago
Let me propose a name for the feature: Since there are no wires and power goes through thin air...let’s call it... wait for it... “AirPower”. Brilliant huh?
Rating: 39 Votes
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vmac556
7 months ago
April fools
Rating: 34 Votes
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archer75
7 months ago

So what happens when you put 2 iPhone11's back to back?

It's the equivalent of crossing the streams. Never ever cross the streams!
Rating: 14 Votes
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AngerDanger
7 months ago
There's just something wrong with that image.

One can only imagine the freak crossbreed that would emerge 9 months later…



Rating: 11 Votes
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Kaibelf
7 months ago
I wonder if they can work it to be a watch charger as well. That might be handy for travelers as the cable is a little annoying. Also, only some Qi chargers work with some series of the watches, so it's kind of a mess.
Rating: 10 Votes
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bbednarz
7 months ago

Let me propose we stop posing the same story over and over again like we did with Airpower.

That was wrong, this is just a guess and we don't need to be told 8 times it's coming but from someone else. I think everyone is burned out from the results after airpower. Apple has a long way to go before regaining a lot of our confidence in things.

You are currently on a rumor site. They are going to post rumors.
Rating: 9 Votes
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jerryk
7 months ago

So what happens when you put 2 iPhone11's back to back?



When 2 iPhone 11s like each other they get together in a special hug. And in 6 months you get an iPhone SE.
Rating: 8 Votes
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MacFan23
7 months ago

This could be pretty cool. Charge your iPhone on a qi charger overnight, and put your AirPods on top.


I don't think this would work as the coils on the back of the phone will need to be unobstructed by the display, meaning the back of the iPhone will need to be in contact with the Qi charger and unavailable for AirPods to sit on top.

Although plugging the iPhone in and resting the AirPods on top would forgo the need for a standalone Qi charger.
Rating: 7 Votes
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ipedro
7 months ago

I wonder if they can work it to be a watch charger as well. That might be handy for travelers as the cable is a little annoying. Also, only some Qi chargers work with some series of the watches, so it's kind of a mess.


Charging a Watch and AirPods are really the only real practical use for this. Charging another phone would be too wasteful with a minimum of 40% of the charge being lost if this anything like Qi. A Watch and AirPods can be given a useful charge pretty quickly. Another phone, not so much.
Rating: 7 Votes
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billybobfred
7 months ago
This seems like the most pointless feature to offer on a phone. Does anybody actually want this?? Why not just buy a wireless charger? It would be much quicker and more efficient. I don't see any valid use cases for this tech.
Rating: 5 Votes

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