Alliance announces wireless charging standard for laptops

The Alliance for Wireless Power, which focuses on magnetic resonance technology, is introducing a standard that can wirelessly charge even devices with high energy requirements. At the same time, Dell became the first major PC manufacturer to join the alliance.

Coinciding with the announcement of Dell’s entry, the A4WP is announcing a new standard for wirelessly powering devices from 20 to 50 watts. The alliance christened its magnetic resonance charging technology Rezence late last year. Ultrabooks and laptops can also be charged with the new standard, which explains the entry of Dell.

A4WP does not provide details about the new Rezence standard, but the alliance has repeatedly stated its intention to also be able to charge laptops via tabletop surfaces in, for example, the train or office environments.

Previously, Intel, Fujitsu, LG and Samsung, among others, already rallied behind the alliance, but Dell is the first purely PC-oriented manufacturer to join the A4WP. Not only can the technology now be used to charge laptops, but when Rezence is integrated, those laptops can in turn also wirelessly charge other devices.

Intel already demonstrated wireless charging via electromagnetic resonance in 2012 by placing a smartphone next to an ultrabook. The advantage of magnetic resonance is that the device to be charged does not have to make physical contact with the charging surface. Several devices can also be charged at the same time.