The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is an organisation founded ten years ago that created Qi wireless charging. It’s members include Apple, Google, Huawei and Samsung among many many others. A company must be a member before it can produce Qi charging products.
Of note until just recently one major smartphone player was missing from the list, OPPO but now they are there. While they do not have any phones that support Qi wireless charging yet they did file a patent for fast wireless charging (15W) late last year. The patent allows for more than 15W but even at 15W it would be the highest available at the moment. OPPO already have the fastest wired charging available so it seem they are aiming for the fastest wireless too.
To add to this patent, OPPO have also now joined the WPC suggesting that OPPO are set to release a phone with wireless charging. This possibly, probably, and most likely, means that their sister company, OnePlus, who often share a phone design with OPPO, will also release a phone with wireless charging.
OnePlus have said in the past they they would not release a phone with wireless charging while it was still so much slower than their wired charging — now called WARP charging. With this new 15W wireless charging their wireless charging could be approaching the speed of their wired charging — assuming OPPO allow them to use their fast wireless charging patent. Notably, OPPO keep their SuperVOOC charging speeds to themselves –WARP is fast but not SuperVOOC fast – so it is not a given that the technology will make it across to OnePlus but we can only hope.
We will find out in a month or two when OPPO release their next phone, the R19? Or will it be a new Find X variety? Hopefully they share the technology with OnePlus and we see the fast wireless charging on the OnePlus 7 as well.
