Wireless charging of mobile devices was originally expected to see giant advances in the second half of 2013 and many smartphone brand vendors have been inquiring about related solutions. However, because of compatibility issues and prices, not many vendors have started developing products using the technology and the technology is unlikely to become a standard specification until the second half of 2014, according to sources from wireless charging module makers.
Since Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm have both expressed interest in unifying wireless charging technologies, the industry is expected to gradually integrate existing technologies from major camps Wireless Power Consortium (Qi), Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and Power Matters Alliance (PMA) into one unified standard.
However, compatibility between the three platforms is expected to take a while to resolve as it involves cooperation between many upstream suppliers such as IC designers and chipmakers as well as downstream players. The cost of integration is another major issue that needs to be considered.
With consumers becoming more sensitive about product prices, wireless charging's high prices are also an obstacle.
