Apple Watch Major Driver of Rise in Wireless Charging Transmitter Shipments

One in 10 smartphones shipped worldwide this year will include wireless charging capability, said an IHS report Monday. The global wireless charging transmitter market more than doubled in 2015 to 53 million transmitter shipments, said the report, while 2.8 billion wireless charging transmitters and receivers are forecast to ship in 2025. Transmitter shipments are being driven by adoption in the receiver market “and by the attach rate for each receiver application,” said analyst Vicky Yussuff, saying wearables typically ship with a dedicated wireless charger in the box. Wireless charging will see the biggest volume increase when it's offered as the primary means to charge a device, she said. Apple Watch contributed significantly to the more than 23 million wearable-device transmitters shipped in 2015, said Yussuff. Samsung, meanwhile, heavily promoted wireless charging transmitters in the Galaxy S6 last year, offering two-for-one and free transmitters for consumers who signed up for Samsung Pay, a strategy it carried over to the Galaxy S7 smartphone earlier this year. Awareness remains an issue near term since most wireless charging receiver devices aren't shipped with an accompanying transmitter, she said. “Consumers might not be aware of -- or even choose to use -- wireless charging features built into their devices,” bringing the receiver-to-transmitter attach rate down, Yussuff said. The introduction of wireless-charging notebook PCs later this year will further expand the market and create a need for wireless charging in public places, she said. “General public-space deployment is one of the most important ways to increase awareness, usage and demand for wireless charging technology.” Select McDonald’s, Starbucks, Marriott and Hilton venues offer wireless charging, “and further penetration of the technology in more public areas will intensify growth in the public infrastructure segment of the market,” she said. The one millionth public infrastructure transmitter is forecast to ship this year, Yussuff said.