The launch of Apple iPhone 7 is months away, but that hasn't stopped tipsters from giving up essential information about the unannounced device. Following series of reports about how the iPhone 7 is going to be a game-changer, a new report by BGR on Wednesday highlighted the futuristic technology that will embrace Apple's flagship in the most revolutionary way.
Apple has reportedly partnered with a startup called Energous, which is best known for its wireless charging chip WattUp. According to the BGR report, Apple will exclusively utilise Energous' WattUp chip to wirelessly charge devices from up to 15 feet away. There is no official word on the deal, but a research report from Louis Basenese of Disruptive Tech Research provided substantial evidence of a potential partnership between Energous and Apple, MacRumors reported earlier this month.
"From that list, we can easily eliminate HP and Hitachi, as they don't make phones. Since Samsung makes its own chips and WATT is working with TSM, we can cross it off the list, leaving only Apple and Microsoft," Basenese explained. "In reality, though, Microsoft is an also-ran in the mobile phone market and rumoured to be exiting it. So we're left with one company. Of course, the identity will remain a mystery, as AAPL's notorious about insisting on secrecy with partners and employees."
In early 2015, Energous signed a deal with an unnamed company that is one of the top five consumer electronics firms in the world. If Basenese's theory is right, Apple is that firm and the revolutionary change is coming sooner than we thought.
How WattUp transforms wireless charging?
WattUp is an upgraded version of the wireless charging solution like Qi, which eliminates the cords but require a physical contact between the device and the charging pad. WattUp is made up of two parts, a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter can be placed anywhere in a room, office or living room, while the receiver embeds within a smartphone or any device, which in this case is iPhone.
WattUp uses radio frequencies to charge a device within a 15 feet radius. For instance, if the transmitter is placed inside your bedroom, your iPhone with WattUp receiver will charge the device for as long as you are in the room.
The WattUp chip is so tiny that it will not add any thickness to the device, something which Apple has been focusing to accomplish in the iPhone 7 by eliminating headphone jack. The tiny size of the chip also makes it the right fit for wearables, addressing the smartwatch's battery drain issues (may be in Apple Watch, too). WattUp can charge up to 12 devices simultaneously, which is another add-on for multiple device users.
There is little evidence that the iPhone 7 will feature this revolutionary wireless charging method as Energous' timeline for WattUp in commercial devices is expected around late 2016 or early 2017. But it is safe to assume that the iPhone 7s will could be the first device with WattUp chip in it.
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