Apple’s wireless charger is more exciting than most, but we’re getting bored waiting for it. We outline what you need to know about AirPower.
We write about a lot of devices that are yet to go on sale, but they are usually phones, tablets and laptops, not wireless chargers. So what makes this one so special? Well it’s not because it’s an Apple wireless charger, if that’s what you’re thinking. Actually the AirPower has caught our eye because it is one of very few devices that are able to wirelessly charge multiple devices at once. (Also see our round-up of the best wireless chargers .)
Apple’s upcoming AirPower is a wireless charging pad that can juice up three Apple devices at once, such as your iPhone, Apple Watch and Qi-enabled Apple AirPods. Or if you’re not that much of an Apple fan, your iPhone and your partner’s iPhone – it doesn’t look big enough to accommodate three iPhones, even if you had three to charge.
The wireless charging built into the latest iPhones (iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X) is compliant with Qi, which is also supported by all the flagship Android phones that offer wireless charging. We hope this means that you will also be able to charge Android devices using the AirPower, though it sounds as though this is not going to be the case.
Supposedly the three devices placed on top of AirPower are able to ‘communicate’ with each other to intelligently manage charging, with stats displayed on the iPhone screen. We think this is a clever way of saying it will recognise the device type and deliver the optimum amount of power, potentially allowing it to charge more power-hungry devices faster.
However, it might also be a way Apple is able to rule out Android devices from the equation. It will be interesting to learn the max output of the AirPower, given that iPhones can accept only 7.5W and some Android phones can take double this.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a multi-device wireless charger that will support your Android phone and your iPhone there’s always this two-device example from Energizer. It costs just £13.95, which we expect is going to be a lot cheaper than Apple’s wireless charger.
Given that the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were announced back in September we’re surprised we’re still waiting for Apple’s wireless charger to launch. The company has simply said that it will be available in 2018.
A load of rumours suggested the release was imminent in March, and yet here we are still waiting. Surely it’s got to be coming at WWDC, especially if Apple is about to announce a new iPhone SE with wireless charging.
WWDC takes place from 4-8 June, with the keynote at 6pm BST/10am PDT on 4 June. You can follow the WWDC announcements live right here, and we will of course be updating any relevant stories.
Apple has not confirmed pricing for its wireless charger, though our colleagues over at Macworld think it could be as high as £199/$199. Ouch – for a charger?!
We’ll bring you more info when it becomes available.
Read next: Best power banks 2018
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