Paul Morris on February 19, 2017, 7:00 am

Apple Working With Broadcom On Customized Wireless Charging For iPhone

We’ve talked extensively about Apple’s next-generation iPhone even though it isn’t due for a release until at least September this year. And now, it’s time to talk about the bigger picture and that is the iPhone roadmap thanks to a JPMorgan analyst’s prediction.

According to Harlan Sur of JPMorgan, Apple could push out a future iPhone that includes a customized wireless charging system as part of a technology partnership with Broadcom. If accurate, this would fall in line with previous speculation suggesting that Apple and Broadcom have been working together for approximately two years.

Various sources have suggested that wireless charging is one of the most important aspects of Apple’s future iPhone range. The company’s 2017 iPhone, due for release in early October or late September, is expected to feature some sort of integrated wireless charging, long-distance or induction-based, but only on what is being referred to as the “OLED model”, or to put it more bluntly, the most expensive version of this year’s releases.

However, JPMorgan’s Harlan Sur is currently unsure if this aforementioned customized wireless charging solution will make it into Apple’s iPhone 8 this year, citing “caution around the battery-related recall” of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7.

In all honesty, Apple’s plans for wireless charging are extremely difficult to decipher. Tim Cook’s company clearly has wireless charging on the roadmap, but there has also been speculation suggesting that Apple has been working with Lite-On Semiconductor, MediaTek, Luxshare, and Pegatron to come up with some kind of impressive solution for Apple’s future smartphones.

(Image: iPhone 8 concept with transparent OLED display)

If you then throw Broadcom into the mix, you find yourself with a maze of confusion as to who Apple is exactly working with and what on kind of wireless charging. Sur also believes that an all-glass body for the future iPhone is on the agenda, and that is partially due to the integration of wireless charging:

We believe the glass back cover is conducive to wireless charging as it reduces signal interference versus a metal casing. It is possible for Apple to add proprietary features such as fast charging or extended charging to differentiate itself from the pack and enhance the value of its own hardware ecosystem.

In addition to bringing wireless charging to iPhone 8, Apple is also expected to introduce a 5-8-inch full-screen edge-to-edge OLED display with 5.1-inch of usable screen space and function area at the bottom, as well as facial recognition using 3D sensors which will all be packed in a body similar to the size of today’s 4.7-inch iPhone 7.

(Source: CNBC)