China may be restricting wireless charger wattage in smartphones, here’s why it may affect you – morningtidings

The days of wireless charging going up and up and at times insanely up may be limited. The reason: China is seemingly looking at restricting wireless charger wattage to a maximum of 50W. According to information reportedly shared by China’s ministry of industry and information technology, “From January 1, 2022, all mobile and portable wireless charging devices produced, imported, sold, and used in China should not exceed 50W.” This is said to be part of a document titled ‘Interim Provisions on Radio Management of Wireless Charging’.
At present, there’s no other information available on this including the likely reasons behind this capping on wireless charging wattage by China. Speculations suggest that one of the reasons may be the risks said to be posed by super-fast wireless charging standards. These include overheating of wires and other components which at times can prove to be dangerous for smartphone users. Other common disadvantages include lack of common standards, slow charging speed and the need for a charging pad to use it. However, none of the latter are likely to be the reason behind this ban.
Chinese smartphone brands dominate the wireless charging space
Over the past few years, wireless charging has become a common feature in all flagship phones, especially with all those glass backs. You may also find the tech in a few mid-range phones. In fact, this year there has been a constant increase in the wattage of wireless charging tech offered by smartphone brands, especially the Chinese. Earlier this year, Xiaomi introduced 200W HyperCharge fast charging technology that claims to fully charge a 4,000mAh battery in less than 8 minutes. The company also introduced 120W wireless fast charging technology that claims to fully charge a smartphone with the same battery capacity within 15 minutes. Oppo and OnePlus too offer devices that support 50 watt-plus wireless charging technology.
It’s so far also not clear what happens to the devices which already support or come with over 50 watt wireless charging. May be we will get to know more in the next few months. But one thing is clear, with Chinese brands ruling the global smartphone market this change, if and when comes into effect, will surely affect smartphone users worldwide.