Worldwide, One Billion Smartphones Will Be Able To Charge Wirelessly By 2021

By the end of this year, nearly one billion smartphones will support wireless charging.
With proprietary solutions, smartphone vendors like Samsung, Xiaomi, and OPPO and technology suppliers like Infineon, MediaTek, Samsung SDI, and Qualcomm are powering the rise of wireless charging.

According to market research firm Strategy Analytics, the installed base of wireless charging capable smartphones will reach the record-setting one billion mark by the end of 2021.
From its introduction ten years ago, wireless charging has transitioned from a finicky niche technology into an in-demand charging solution for high-end smartphones.
The addressable market for higher-end smartphones with wireless charging technology is expected to grow to over 2.2 billion by 2026, according to Ken Hyers, Director of Strategy Analytics.

Despite the higher cost of wireless charging for smartphones, sales are most robust in the Asia Pacific region, where wireless charging capable smartphones account for 49 percent of the installed base.

In China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and elsewhere in Asia Pacific, middle classes are growing rapidly, so a growing percentage of the population has access to technology,” said Ville-Petteri Ukonaho, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics.
North America accounts for 21 percent of the installed base and Western Europe just 16 percent.

Chinese smartphone vendors, in particular, are introducing more advanced charging solutions, such as Xiaomi’s Mi Air Charge.
Yiwen Wu, Senior Analyst at Yiwen Wu Research, said the Asia Pacific region will remain the single largest market for wireless charging solutions for the foreseeable future.