New Wireless Charging Chip could end Compatibility War

By: T3chmuz  In: , , , ,  

Broadcom announced a new wireless charging chip that works with all existing standards. Broadcom’s BCM59350 SoC is compatible with charging standards implemented by members of the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), Power Matters Alliance (PMA), and the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). WPC is the one behind Qi.

According to Reinier van der Lee, Broadcom Product Director, Mobile Platforms. "Available today, Broadcom's new wireless charging technology enables device manufacturers to build multi-standard wireless power receivers, alleviating consumer confusion and driving the benefits of Rezence technology into the mainstream," 

"Broadcom delivers the complete package — interoperable wireless charging, leading mobile connectivity and WICED™ Smart technology for charging pads, simplifying the development process and enabling a fully interoperable ecosystem to our customers."

This new chip features:
  • Efficient - up to 88 percent AC to DC efficiency 
  • High performance - supports up to 7.5W for faster charge time than standard USB and wall charger
  • Boost mode - Broadcom enables charging performance with 50 percent less voltage
  • Support for automatic selection between standards and single mode operation
  • NFC coexistence - Broadcom's wireless charging design ensures high-quality NFC performance
  • Implementation flexibility - can be designed in a smartphone motherboard or battery cover
  • Small PCB footprint - Broadcom's design supports multiple standards in the same size as a single standard solution
  • Low cost - Broadcom's solution has a cost-effective bill of materials with no external active components, excluding WICED™ Smart
So what is all this mean for the average consumer, well if this chip take off, you don't have to worry anymore about wireless charging compatibility, you just buy any model and it just works.