Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission.Learn more.
Powermat joins WPC, no longer competing with Qi on wireless charging
June 18, 2025
For almost as long aswireless charginghas existed, there have been competing standards. We currently have Qi and Powermat, but the race hasn’t been close for a long time. Qi has dominated for a few years now, and with the newest iPhoneshitting the market with Qi support, the writing has been on the wall. Now, Powermat hasjoinedthe Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the developer of Qi.
So, what exactly does this mean? In the immediate future, Powermat will contribute its technology to the WPC. It’ll continue to develop wireless charging technology that maintains backward compatibility with Qi as well. Long-term, we’ll probably see it ship chargers with both Qi and PMA standards like its newestCharging Spot 4.0.
The final blow seems to be the introduction of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. All three phones support Qi instead of Powermat. Starbucks outfitted its stores with wireless chargers three years ago and went with Powermat at the time. Recently, it had to update all of them to support Qi as well for the new iPhones.
In a statement, Powermat CEO Elad Dubzinksi all but confirmed that Apple’s move forced Powermat’s hand:
Powermat joining the WPC should be a win for customers. With the combined technologies of Powermat and the WPC, wireless charging should getbetterand simpler.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read ourComment Policybefore posting.
