Consumers say wireless charging is the must-have feature for smartphones and cure for "battery anxiety"

PISCATAWAY, N.J., Dec. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A global survey conducted this month revealed the significant value consumers place on wireless charging, indicating a high degree of satisfaction with available products and the near-term potential for faster consumer adoption.  The consumer responses indicate that wireless charging enabled smartphones and accessories may be one of the most welcomed holiday gifts this season and desired products for years to come.

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) surveyed 2,000 consumers¹ from US, Europe and Asia regions to gauge their perceptions, interest and experiences with wireless charging.  WPC is a not-for-profit organization that created the prevailing global standard for wireless charging called Qi (pronounced "chee") and this ecosystem has grown to include wireless charging smartphones, automobiles (for smartphone charging), furniture, laptops, power tools and countless accessories.

The top three takeaways of the survey include:

1. To use wireless charging is to love wireless charging:

• 90% of consumers who have used wireless charging are satisfied with the experience and performance of their products.
• 49% of consumers who have used wireless charging accessories, purchased more than one wireless charging product and 15% of consumers who have used wireless charging accessories, purchased three or more wireless charging accessories.
• 75% of consumers experience battery anxiety at least once a week; and 36% reported experiencing battery anxiety at least once a day. Approximately, 69% believed having access to a wireless charging accessory would decrease their battery anxiety level.
• The value of wireless charging for consumers is they can have an always-charged smartphone throughout their day. Respondents indicated the most desirable places to remain charged were (in ranked order) at home, at the office, while driving and at hotels.

2. Wireless charging has strong consumer appeal and motivates the likelihood of purchase:

• More than 9 in 10 consumers who have not used wireless charging view it as appealing, with 79% of them expressing intent to purchase a wireless charging product in the near future.
• 76% of those surveyed reported they would use wireless chargers if they were built into their smartphone. This type of demand also was uncovered in an October 2016 JD Power study, which found that more than half of U.S. mobile subscribers selected wireless charging as the top feature for their next smartphone.
• Almost half of current users of wireless charging purchased more than one additional wireless charging accessory in the last three months.

3. General consumer awareness of wireless charging is growing rapidly, but a deeper understanding of the benefits comes from first-hand experience:  

• 89% of respondents have heard of wireless charging (confirming the growing awareness found by IHS Markit: 80% in July 2016, 76% in 2015 and 37% in 2014), but only 30% of consumers are familiar with how it actually works.
• After using wireless charging, consumers found satisfaction in the following functional aspects: a) ease of use, b) safety, c) convenience, d) reliability and e) fast-charging capability.
• Having the ability to use wireless charging in cars was ranked equally as important as having it by a consumer's bedside or in a living room (tied for first).

"This survey demonstrates strong consumer demand for wireless charging in smartphones and demonstrates that consumers start to appreciate the value of using wireless chargers wherever they live, work and travel,"  said Menno Treffers, WPC Chairman. "We expect that the perceived value of wireless charging will continue to increase and that the technology will be adopted into more products like laptops and power tools – applications that can take advantage of our evolving and open standards."

This survey reinforces why top brands -- from BMW to Toyota, from IKEA to Verizon Wireless, Samsung to LG -- have chosen to include Qi wireless charging in their products or at places where people need to remain always charged. There are now more than 60 models of cars, 4,000 public locations (including McDonald's in Europe, Starbucks in Germany), 80 models of smartphones and 900+ certified and tested wireless charging accessories (for iPhone and Android) now available. 

Additional information from this survey can be found at WPC's web site. There will be more details shared in the future.

About the Wireless Power Consortium
Established in 2008, the Wireless Power Consortium is an open, collaborative standards development group of more than 220 company members based in approximately 23 countries. WPC's members include ASUS, Belkin, Bosch, Canon, ConvenientPower, Dell, Delphi, Haier, HTC, iHome, IKEA, LG, Motorola, mophie, Nissan, Panasonic, PowerbyProxi, Royal Philips, Samsung, Sony, TDK, Texas Instruments and Verizon Wireless.

These companies -- large and small competitors and ecosystem partners, from all parts of the industry and all parts of the globe -- collaborate for a single purpose: to design and evolve the world's most useful, safe and efficient standard for wireless power. For more information, visit www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com.

1 - Source: Toluna Research, December 2016

SOURCE Wireless Power Consortium

Related Links

https://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com