Skip to main content

Ventev’s Scott Franklin gives us a look into the future of wireless charging

Wireless charging is great, but it can also be a fickle thing. Since each phone has a different wireless sweet spot, figuring out just how to position it on a charger can be tricky. And, of course, you also need to keep in mind which type of wireless charging your phone uses.
Recommended Videos
Ventev is aiming to solve this problem with products like its Wireless Charge Stand and the recent Wirelesspro dock. Scott Franklin, the company’s director of marketing, sat down with Digital Trends at CES to talk about these products, as well as the future of wireless charging.

With the adjustable charging pad on the Wireless Charge Stand, which supports multiple charging platforms, you can easily match the stand to the sweet spot on your phone. This also allows you to charge your phone in landscape mode if that’s what you prefer. This latest model also bumps up the wattage from five volts to 15 volts, shaving a few hours off of your charge time.

“Historically, wireless charging has been five watts, which was great, but it was really, really slow, particularly in a car,” Franklin said. “If you wanted to use your apps, [or were] listening to music, you were really just buying yourself time. You were not able to put enough power back into the phone to really use the phone the way you want to. With these new chargers with 15 watts, you’re now able to charge your phone and use your phone while traveling.”

The industry is looking much further down the path toward a future where you’ll never have to plug your phone in. Franklin says the handset makers aren’t there yet, and neither are the chipsets, but as technology improves, this is becoming a realistic expectation for the future.

For now, Ventev is working on improving its own technology to work from further and further away. The Wireless Charge Stand will charge your phone even if you’ve got it covered in a heavy case, something that just wasn’t possible in the early days of wireless charging. It’s not quite charging the phone while it’s still in your pocket, but Franklin says that the distance between you and your wireless charger will continue to grow.

Ventev’s Wireless Charge Stand is available now.

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
GuRu’s robot could charge up your devices wirelessly over a distance
GuRu wireless power over distance

This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.

Another day at CES 2020, another company ready to make the dream of wireless charging over distance a reality. This time around it was GuRu's turn to show us three demonstrations of wireless charging over distance working in different ways.

Read more
The Galaxy A56 may get one of the S24 Ultra’s top features
A person using the Samsung Galaxy A55.

Samsung may be ready to change one of the long-standing negatives about its otherwise desirable Galaxy A5x series phones — the charging speed. For the Galaxy A55’s replacement, currently expected to be called the Galaxy A56, Samsung may introduce 45-watt charging speeds, a big increase over the current 25W charging, according to a report originating in China.

The source is an official-looking certificate from the Chinese government’s Quality Certification Centre (CQC) which is responsible for ensuring devices sold in China meet the required standards. The phone is listed as the SM-A5660, and seeing as the Galaxy A55’s model number is the SM-A556, it’s not much of a stretch to assume we’re looking at details of the unreleased Galaxy A56. Apparently, the phone’s maximum 10V/4.5A system equates to a 45W charging speed.

Read more
I used a Wear OS smartwatch for the first time, and I love it
Someone wearing an Apple Watch Ultra and Pixel Watch 3 on different wrists.

Ever since the original Apple Watch, smartwatches as a whole have really taken off. Though Apple largely dominates the market, there are still plenty of non-Apple smartwatches to choose from.

I’ve been solely an Apple Watch user for the past decade, but I’ve been trying out a Google Pixel Watch 3 for the past couple of weeks. And, honestly, I kind of love it.
A round smartwatch is so much sleeker

Read more