From New MacBook to Samsung Galaxy S6: Changing the Way We Charge in 2015
Electronics companies get innovative with charging.
— -- Goodbye cord clutter, power outlets and fumbling around to get a cable to fit perfectly into a device. This is the year electronics companies are making a push to revolutionize the way we charge the latest generation of devices.
A slate of new releases, from the new MacBook adopting the USB-C multi-purpose charging port to Samsung's wireless charging Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones, have shown how the process of powering up is getting easier and more innovative.
Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy told ABC News there has been a shift over the past decade from battery technologies to the charging experience to create a "more experience-based focus."
The USB-C port in Apple's fanless, thin new MacBook is expected to become a standard in some new devices this year. The cable plugging into the port and a connected device has ends that are the same size, meaning there is no need to have to worry about plugging something in upside down.
It's also reversible, allowing both peripheral and host devices to share their juice -- and it accommodates even speedier data transfers at a rate of 10 GBPS. For users wanting to connect older devices, Apple is selling a USB-C multi-port adapter that can accommodate older electronics, such as cameras and flash drives.
Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman, announced last August the charging standard was ready for production with a single-cable solution equipped for laptops, tablets and mobile devices.
"This specification is the culmination of an extensive, cooperative effort among industry leaders to standardize the next generation USB connector as a long-lasting, robust solution," Saunders said.
When Samsung showed off its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones at the Mobile World Congress earlier this month, the South Korean electronics company focused part of its presentation on the "relentless innovation" it had pursued, including in the area of mobile charging.
The new devices, which go on sale next month, are outfitted with wireless charging, making power cords obsolete. In ten minutes, Samsung says the devices can get enough charge for four hours of everyday use.
Seho Park, Samsung's principal engineer, said in a blog post that with a new chip released last year to support multiple charging standards, 2015 will be a game-changing year for wireless smartphone charging.
"Samsung will accelerate to democratize this wireless charging technology with compelling smartphones. With our upcoming Galaxy smartphones, users will be able to enter a new wireless world like never before," Park wrote. "Two or three years ago, wireless charging was only twenty to thirty percent as fast as wired charging. But since then, we have been able to double the charging speed."
Even Apple's new smartwatch is upping the charging game for wearables. While its battery life may differ from other wearables that have some of the capabilities of the Apple Watch, the company promised its first product in the category would be so simple to charge that wearers could do it in the dark.
All it takes to charge the Apple Watch is connecting the device to the company's MagSafe technology with inductive charging. Apple says the magnet will slide into place with no precise alignment required.
The Nexus 6 released last October also upped the ante for charging. The 6-inch smartphone has a "turbo charger," which allows users to get as much as six hours of use with just 15 minutes of charge.