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Table of Contents
Qi standard
What is Qi
The Qi (pronounced chee) standard is a widely adopted wireless power transfer (WPT) technology designed for mobile devices. First introduced in July 2010 with Version 1.0, Qi has since become the leading global standard for wireless charging. Developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and supported by 285 companies, in particular major technology companies such as Apple, Samsung, Google and Meta, ensuring its continuous evolution and global adoption. Today, there are more than 11,000 Qi Certified products on the market. The Qi standard has been updated several times over the years to improve performance, compatibility, and efficiency:
- Version 1.0 (July 2010)
- Version 1.1 (March 2012)
- Version 1.2 (October 2015)
- Version 1.3 (January 2021)
- Version 2.0 (April 2023)
- Version 2.1 (September 2024)
Key advantages
All these previous improvements have significantly improved the performance and capabilities of Qi, resulting in several key advantages:
- Transmitter can deliver up to 15W
- Operating frequency of 360kHz
- Magnetic Power Profile (MPP)
- Foreign Object Detection (FOD)
- Universal compatibility
- Bidirectional communication
Other WPT technologies
Other WPT technologies include the AirFuel Alliance standard (formerly Power Matters Allicance) and its magnetic resonance-based approach. While these alternatives offer benefits such as longer-range charging, the Qi standard remains the most widely adopted due to its efficiency, compatibility and strong industry support.
References