iPhone 8 News: Apple Will Not Have Truly Long-Range Wireless Charging, Reason Explained

There are contradictory reports on the planned area of a wireless charging feature on the upcoming iPhone 8 from Apple. A report says that Apple has filed a patent for wireless charging, but the Company would likely not use the technology from Energous that had previously hinted it has entered into an agreement with an industry giant, presumed to be Apple.

But a now a latest report from Copperfield Research, noted by Mac Rumors, has explains that Apple would not use the WattUp radio-frequency-based wireless charging solution of Energous for the iPhone 8. Publication also notes that since 2013, Apple had filed more than a dozen patents for an in-house inductive charging solution for its future devices.

Instead of radio waves, which were used by the Energous wireless charging technology, inductive charging relies on magnetic coils to provide the power to the device. A 2011 patent points out that charging which uses radio frequency is not practical, very inefficient and has the potential of being dangerous. The patent, although, was filed by Apple, who believed to launch the iPhone 8 in September, before the prospective relationship with Energous.

The filed patent from the Apple tells that radioactive transfer is very inefficient as only a small part of the radiated power is picked up by the receiver, but the bulk of the power is radiated away in other directions and lost in free space. According to The Street, the Energous technology utilizes near-field magnetic character which iPhone 8-maker Apple warns have radiation risks. The report further adds that Apple has entered into a partnership with Lite-On Semiconductor for wireless charging bridge rectifiers and it could indicate that Apple is planning to use inductive charging for the upcoming iPhone 8.

Forbes also claims that Apple's plan to use an all-glass case for the iPhone 8 instead of an aluminium chassis as another indicator of its planned use of inductive charging. Glass is needed for induction charging that would not pass through aluminium, while radioactive transfer will be done on both aluminium and glass bodies.

After the release of Copperfield Research's investor note, the share price of Energous has been reduced by 4 percent to $17.71 on this Monday, however Apple's shares slightly went up by 0.1 percent to $120.08. Stay tuned for more news and updates!