After showcasing its
Optimus series of smartphones, LG has now unveiled
the WCP-300 wireless charger that also happens to be the "world's
smallest" in the industry. South Korea will see the hardware arrive this
week with a 65,000 won (roughly $60) price tag, but the charger is
scheduled for a worldwide roll out soon with US being one of the
countries on the list.
Measuring 6.98cm in diameter, LG claims that
the charger is so designed keeping in mind the portability factor. Also,
though it it is small in size, the company promises that the charging
area is 1.7 times wider than that of LG's previous generation wireless
charger. The new model is compatible with a standard 5-pin micro-USB
charger.
The company's official press release mentioned,
"The WCP-300 uses the electromagnetic induction technology and is Qi
certified by the Wireless Power Consortium. Electromagnetic induction
produces a magnetic field that in turn generates an electric current to
charge the batteries in devices placed on the charging pad.
Certification ensures that the WCP-300 is compatible with all
smartphones that support the Qi standard."
Both the LG
Spectrum 2 and Nexus 4 come with built-in support for wireless charging
right out of the box, eliminating the need to purchase separate covers
unlike the recent Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 devices. The WCP-300 is also
expected to support the Optimus G Pro, Vu II and LTE II smartphones
among others.
LG believes that built-in support for upcoming
smartphones will be the most critical development in making wireless
charging the industry standard going forward. Sharing his views on this
compact hardware, Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG
Electronics Mobile Communications Company said, "Wireless charging is
the holy grail of smartphone user convenience. With the WCP-300, LG was
able to deliver both portability with top-class charging capabilities in
a device no larger than a typical beverage coaster."
The Korean
manufacturer isn't the only one to think so. Samsung's upcoming flagship
device, the Galaxy S IV is also likely to feature wireless charging support. That said, it will not come integrated with wireless charging
compatibility. The company plans to sell a separate dock and a back
cover with wireless charging capabilities for the device. The wireless
charging kit is expected to be made available a couple of weeks later
after the Galaxy S IV goes on sale.
Samsung earlier planned on
using an alternate technology based on resonant magnetic coupling that
is different from the electromagnetic induction found in the current
wireless chargers. This would have allowed the Galaxy S IV to be charged
from a distance of up to 2 meters.
In comparison, other
smartphones that have wireless charging support right now require to be
placed at a distance of no more than 4cm away from a charging pad. But
the company feels that it would be to expensive in the market and hence
has ultimately decided to stick with the more standard wireless charging
method.
MWC 2013 in pictures