As the Wireless Power Consortium’s (WPC) flagship standard for smartphone wireless charging, Qi is among the fastest-growing wireless power technologies in the industry. The recently unveiled Qi 2.2.1 specification established new thresholds by supporting up to 25W wireless power delivery to smartphones, a significant leap forward that has been widely welcomed across the ecosystem.
The launch of Qi 2.2 was followed up with a comprehensive Qi 2.2.1 Interoperability (IOP) test event from July 7-9. WPC accomplished Qi 2.2.1 product certification six weeks ahead of the planned schedule, with an extensive interoperability product matrix of 742 test combinations, comprising 709 legacy product pairings and 33 newly certified 25W MPP product pairing combinations executed. Not only did this provide early certification opportunities for early adopters and innovators, the soft launch marked one of the most thorough IOP efforts in Qi's history. The scale of the effort and increased power demands also marked the industry's readiness for next-generation wireless charging.
GRL’s test solution was the first test solution approved by WPC for Qi 2.2.1 certification testing. All authorized test labs worldwide that participated in the soft launch program used GRL’s platform to validate smartphones and chargers. These devices were subsequently sent for IOP testing.
Products were certified by WPC-authorized test labs (ATLs) and underwent comprehensive interoperability (IOP) testing as part of the soft launch program. This included compatibility testing between new Qi 2.2 devices as well as backward compatibility with legacy Qi-certified smartphones and chargers to facilitate seamless user experiences throughout the ever-growing ecosystem.
In total, three receiver (3) smartphones and eleven(11) transmitters were successfully certified. These devices were the first in the world to achieve Qi 2.2.1 certification for 25W wireless charging. Notably, this includes several automotive-grade chargers, paving the way for highly efficient in-vehicle wireless charging solutions. Commercial product releases are expected to begin shortly. GRL takes pride in the fact that all devices certified using GRL solutions underwent smooth IOP testing.
