Dubai: The market for wireless power and charging is expected to grow in 2017, with global receiver shipments reaching 325 million units by year end, an industry expert said.
The market grew approximately 40 per cent in 2016.
Vicky Yousuf, analyst at IHS Markit, said that mobile phones remain the primary driver for development of wireless power technology and mobile phones, laptops and wearable devices will drive receiver market growth.
Apple is also expected to have wireless charging technology on its new iPhone devices while Samsung had wireless charging inbuilt from 2015 on its Note 5, Galaxy S6 devices, S7 devices, A7 and A5 models launched this year.
Yousuf said that receiver unit shipments are expected to climb this year as demand increases; OEMs make their decision on specifications; and the market moves towards glass-backed phones.
Crucial contributions
In 2016, he said that flagship Samsung handset made the biggest single contribution to enabled receiver shipments.
Samsung’s decision to retain wireless charging on the Galaxy S7, and LG’s decision to add the technology to its new G6 device (US model), were crucial for wireless charging technology.
“The mobile phone market continues to be the entry point for the consumer experience of wireless power,” he said.
The IHS Markit first-quarter consumer survey shows that consumer awareness of wireless power technology remains high and, perhaps more significantly, there has been a jump in usage.
More than one-third (35 per cent) of US consumers say they have used wireless charging, up from 25 per cent in 2016. This suggests the market has moved into the commoditisation phase, particularly for mobile phones.
Beyond mobile
Wireless charging extends beyond the mobile phone market.
Yousuf said that the laptop market could see a surge of integration following Dell’s announcement of the Dell Latitude 7285, a two-in-one tablet that includes a wireless charging-enabled detachable keyboard.
The keyboard uses magnetic resonance technology from WiTricity and is compatible with the AirFuel resonant specification. The device is expected to start shipping in June 2017.
“Shipments of a wireless charging enabled laptop could not have come at a better time. Laptops are a particular device that 75 per cent of consumers would like to see adopt wireless charging technology,” he said.
Now that the first resonant system is being launched, he said that it is likely that at least one more OEM will launch a similar product within the next six months.
Consumers also say they would like to see wearable devices adopt wireless charging, particularly in the smart watch category.
According to the IHS Markit Wireless Power Tracker, nearly 30 million wearable device receiver units are expected to ship in 2017.
As more consumers start to own multiple wireless-charging devices, Yousuf said that the need for multi-device chargers will increase.
The multi-device transmitter market is expected to ship more 30 million units by 2026.
