Smartphone manufacturers are reputedly working on up to 100 W wireless fast-charging

Wireless charging has come back into fashion in the last few years, despite the rise of high-powered wired charging. While Apple has yet to cross the 10 W wireless charging threshold, the likes of Oppo and Xiaomi have released smartphones this year that can recharge wirelessly at over 5x that wattage. 

However, Digital Chat Station, a well-known and often reliable leaker, has now claimed that 50 W and 65 W wireless charging will soon be a thing of the past. Apparently, several smartphone manufacturers are developing 100 W wireless charging capabilities. If all goes to plan, then the first smartphones capable of charging at these wattages will arrive as early as next year.

It is unclear quite how this technology will work though, seeing as wireless charging wastes some of its energy as heat. In turn, the heat produced in the process of wirelessly charging a smartphone at 100 W could affect the longevity of its battery. Oppo claims, for example, that a battery will degrade to 91% after 800 cycles of being charged wirelessly at 65 W. Additionally, battery health drops to 80% after 800 cycles of being charged at 125 W via a wired charger.