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. 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 2018 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.