Freescale enables wireless charging for tablets and other large gadgets

Chip maker Freescale is introducing a 15-watt wireless charging system that will enable cordless recharging for larger devices such as tablets.

The wireless charging operates at three times the wattage of wireless phone chargers. It should make wireless charging a lot more convenient and faster, and it signals that the day isn’t far away when we’ll be able to charge our laptops wirelessly.

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Besides tablets, you’ll be able to use it to charge large-screen smartphones, portable industrial equipment, and medical equipment without plugging them into a wired charger. Intel has promised that it will enable wireless charging in the not-so-distant future for laptops, but the 15-watt system from Freescale isn’t powerful enough to do that.

The system is 15-watt Qi-compliant, and it works with a variety of standards such as the Wireless Power Consortium and the Power Matters Alliance. The system will enable faster charging of small devices by delivering higher power wirelessly.

“Today’s mobile products offer a broader range of features, functionality and form factors than ever before, requiring developers of wireless charging systems to accommodate larger batteries and enable faster recharge speeds,” said Denis Cabrol, director of global marketing and business development for Freescale’s MCU group, in a statement. “Freescale’s industry-first 15 W solution is engineered to address these evolving market requirements, while helping to streamline product development and unleash design creativity.”

The solution includes two 15-watt chips: the WPR1516 receiver chip and an accompanying WCT1012 transmitter chip. Freescale’s products are expected to hit the market in the first quarter of 2015.

“It’s not that they can’t charge a laptop, it’s just a matter of how long it would take to charge,” said Jim McGregor, analyst at Tirias Research, in an email. “What you can’t do is run a mainstream or high-end laptop off a 15W charging pad.”

He added, “However. how any people are really going to charge their laptop in the car? Freescale is mainly targeting mobile solutions like tablets, consumer electronics, and medical devices, and environments like automotive and industrial environments. In the end, there will be a wide variety of charging requirements for different devices and applications. 15W is actually excessive for many applications like a smartphone, because you there is only so much power smaller devices can accept based on the receiving coil and the thermal limitations on the battery.”

And he said, “The benefit of what the Freescale solution offers is that it supports two-way communication for more intelligent charging and higher power levels for a wider range of mobile devices.”

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