The latest iPhone X, iPhone 8 series, and Galaxy series smartphones support wireless charging "Qi". You can charge your smartphone just by placing it on the Freedy wireless charging pad.
With the support of Apple's "iPhone X" and "iPhone 8" series, wireless charging "Qi" has become a smartphone trend in 2018. Wireless charging is easy because you can charge your smartphone just by placing it on the charging pad, without the need for a cable. The number of users who purchase with the latest smartphones is increasing, such as the establishment of a dedicated corner for wireless charging pads at major mass retailers.
Compatible smartphones include Apple's latest iPhone and Samsung's "Galaxy" series. In addition, many manufacturers have announced compatible models such as the "Xperia XZ2" series scheduled to be released by Sony Mobile this year, and it is spreading all at once.
However, "how to choose a wireless charging pad" is not well known. In fact, even with the same wireless charging pad, the charging speed differs depending on the manufacturer and product, and some products do not have the certification of the international standard "Qi" and have problems with safety and compatibility.
Therefore, Komatech, which develops and manufactures Qi-certified wireless charging pads such as the high-output 15W model "EA1702" and the small model "KWS-211", which are also sold in Japan under the "Freedy" brand. I went to Seoul, South Korea, where the head office is located, to interview the key man. The company is a manufacturer that ships more than 1 million wireless charging pads to the world in the same member category "full member" as companies such as Sony and Samsung of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) that formulates the international standard "Qi". is.
Freedy's 15W high-speed wireless charging pad "EA1702". It is a high-end model that supports Qi and is capable of high-speed wireless charging of the latest iPhone and Galaxy.
Freedy's wireless charging pad "KWS-211" has a compact body with a weight of 45g and a thickness of 7mm, and uses a Panasonic IC, and has good charging efficiency even with the 5W standard.You can charge Qi compatible smartphones and devices such as the latest iPhone
Now, let's check the points of purchasing a wireless charging pad that many users are interested in and the detailed product situation.
■ The trend of wireless charging pads is up to 15W and iPhone compatible models
――Various wireless charging pads are sold at stores. However, there are various products with compatible power such as 15W, 10W, 7.5W, and 5W, and it is difficult to know which one to purchase.
Sangmoon Jung: Qi has a standard (Baseline Profile) with a maximum power supply of 5W and a standard with a maximum of 15W (Extended Power Profile) that can supply more power. In addition, the high-speed wireless charging of iPhone X and iPhone 8 series has a special specification of 7.5W.
If you want to charge a smartphone that supports high-speed wireless charging exceeding 5W recently or a new iPhone with 7.5W at high speed, you need a wireless charging pad that supports these charging standards.
Han Young Jung, CEO of Komatech
Chief Planning Officer Sangmoon Jung
In the case of Komatech's Freedy "EA1702", it was developed in anticipation that high-speed wireless charging of up to 15W will become mainstream. Not only can Samsung's "Galaxy S8" and LG Electronics' "V30" be charged wirelessly at high speed, but it also supports 7.5W high-speed wireless charging of iPhone X and iPhone 8 series.
If it supports up to 15W, it is necessary to take measures against heat generation compared to general 10W and 5W products, but by devising the design and adopting high quality parts, we have achieved both heat measures and charging efficiency. ..
Freedy "EA1702" supports the latest iPhone and high-speed wireless charging such as Galaxy series. Galaxy Note 8 can also use high-speed wireless charging with a protective case attached
Freedy's "KWS-211" has a maximum of 5W, but it is compact and reasonably priced. By adopting high quality IC made by Panasonic, charging efficiency is better than the same 5W wireless charging pad, so you can charge smartphones such as the latest iPhone and Galaxy faster.
――Some of the wireless charging pads on the market do not support 7.5W high-speed wireless charging of iPhone, even if they are up to 10W or 15W. What's the difference?
Sangmoon Jung: For 7.5W high-speed wireless charging of iPhone X and 8 series, the same Qi standard uses a fixed frequency that is different from the conventional variable frequency. Due to this difference, some wireless charging pads that are Qi certified cannot support 7.5W of iPhone. On the other hand, manufacturers such as Belkin and mophie are responding by launching products optimized for iPhones up to 7.5W.
However, Freedy's "EA1702" has acquired the Qi standard (Extended Power Profile Ver.1.2.4) at a maximum of 15W, and despite the variable frequency, iPhone X and 8 series can also be charged at high speed wirelessly. In-house measurements have confirmed that the EA1702 can charge the iPhone as fast as or faster than other companies' products optimized for iPhone 7.5W.
According to Komatech's verification, the "EA1702" is faster than B's 7.5W compatible charger and can charge the iPhone 8 Plus wirelessly at almost the same speed as A's 7.5W compatible charger.
――In addition to Qi-certified products, some wireless charging pads are sold at low prices on mail-order sites. What kind of product should I buy?
Sangmoon Jung: We recommend purchasing a secure product that is Qi certified. It is important to design the wireless charging pad to prevent heat generation during charging, safety measures when foreign matter is placed on the charging pad, and compatibility. Freedy's products are also Qi certified. You can check if you have Qi certification on the WPC website.
However, there are some low quality products on the market that are not Qi certified. Some of these products are sold under misleading product names as if they were Qi certified, and some actually have poor charging efficiency or cause abnormal heat generation. Abnormal heat generation may damage not only the charging pad but also the smartphone, and in the worst case, it may lead to an accident such as battery ignition.
Products that have obtained Qi certification have the Qi mark on the package and body.Basically, we recommend purchasing a wireless charging pad with this mark.
Komatech's own research results of measuring the difference in charging efficiency between its own Freedy "EA1702" and other companies' wireless charging pads and products that have not obtained Qi certification. It measures with a development board that supports up to 5W.As a result, products that have not been certified by Qi have poor charging efficiency, and there are concerns about high heat generation and slow charging speed.
Han Young Jung: Previously, when a Korean mobile phone operator installed a wireless charging pad in a store or facility in Japan, a problem occurred when dealing with a charging pad that did not have a low-priced Qi certification. I did. Currently, all have been replaced with Qi certified ones.
This issue is also being addressed by WPC, which has established Qi standards, and we are urging major mass retailers in each country to handle only products that have acquired Qi certification, which is highly safe.
Freedy's thorough quality control and wireless charging development capabilities
――Freedy's wireless charging pad is one step ahead of other companies, such as compatibility with up to 15W and iPhone compatibility. Why can we develop such a product?
Han Young Jung: Komatech is a company that develops and produces wireless antennas for smartphones and mobile phones. For example, some smartphones made by major manufacturers are 100% produced by Komatech, from mobile communications such as LTE to GPS, NFC, Bluetooth, and Qi's wireless charging antenna. This technology is being utilized in the development of wireless charging pads.
Komatech produces a variety of wireless antennas for smartphones made by major manufacturers
In addition to wireless charging pads, we are also developing and producing wireless charging antennas to be mounted on smartphones. It can be said that Qi is a company that knows everything about development and production.
Komatech development room.I was involved in remote wireless charging, etc.
The Komatech factory is required to produce parts that meet the quality standards of major smartphone manufacturers.For this reason, production parts are subject to strict quality control using image inspection and laser inspection equipment.
Since we are involved in the development and production of wireless antennas for smartphones, we have installed multiple anechoic chambers and equipment that can evaluate the effects on the human body.
We have been developing and producing Qi for wireless charging since 2012, and are listed on the WPC website as an ODM / OEM supplier of wireless charging products officially recognized by WPC, in addition to our Freedy brand. , We also handle ODM / OEM of each company. We also supply products to aircharge, which Apple listed as a wireless charging partner when the iPhone X was announced.
We develop our products in-house in Seoul, and we use our own factories for production as well as partner factories certified by multiple companies such as Apple MFi Manufacturing Licensee in the same city of Seoul. It can be cheaper if it is produced in China, but it is produced in Seoul in order to realize thorough quality control. In the future, these will be a big difference from other companies in terms of technical capabilities and reliability.
Various quality inspections are carried out on the board on which the parts are mounted using an X-ray inspection machine, etc.
The mounted boards and parts produced are assembled at the factory.Freedy's wireless charging pad "EA1702" was actually produced
In the assembly process of Freedy "EA1702", we also check the operation of each unit.Operation check is performed again before shipping
It is also produced at partner factories in Seoul that have been certified by several major companies.We carry out quality control equivalent to that of major manufacturers
Qi's wireless charging will be expanded to 30W, 60W, 90W and other standards that target the charging of tablets, notebook PCs, and home appliances. We are also developing for this era.
We are also developing for higher output wireless charging.The photo shows a large LED lighting powered wirelessly.
--From the wireless charging support of iPhone X and iPhone 8 series, the wireless charging pad has been attracting attention. Please tell us your enthusiasm for the Japanese market in the future.
Sangmoon Jung: Since the iPhone X and iPhone 8 series support wireless charging, the number of wireless charging pads sold has increased more than six times. In addition to Samsung's Galaxy and LG Electronics, global Huawei and Xiaomi are also announcing compatible products for Android this year. In the Japanese market, we have high expectations for Sony Mobile's wireless charging compatible model "Xperia XZ2" series.
Han Young Jung: In Japan, we have been selling Freedy's "EA1702" and "KWS-211" wireless charging pads in cooperation with MSC Co., Ltd. since last year, and have received high praise from customers. .. We are working to deliver new products around this summer, and we would like to continue to provide high-quality and highly reliable products to the Japanese market and drive the expansion of the wireless charging market. I am. Thank you.
(Courtesy: MSC)
