I am a firm believer in the value of smartwatches and fitness trackers. They’ve helped me get in shape, and in everyday life, being able to check notifications and control music right from my wrist is a great time saver, not to mention keeping in touch with friends and family all the time.
And if there’s one thing that both wearable electronics fans and naysayers will agree on, it’s that the charging situation for these devices is a real disaster. The fact is that almost every wearable gadget has its own branded cable or charging dock. These include the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, the Apple Watch of all generations, and all the smartwatches and fitness trackers from Fossil and Fitbit. It often happens that chargers are not compatible with different models of smart watches from the same company, not to mention competitors. And the time has come when manufacturers of smart accessories must approve a single standard for charging. And there are several reasons for this.
Losing a branded charger is a serious problem
Many, if not all smartphone owners at least once had a situation where they urgently needed to charge their smartphone, but there was no charger at hand. These days, this is usually not such a big problem, since most Android gadgets now accept a USB Type-C cable, and the USB Power Delivery standard is ubiquitous, so the most difficult thing is to find a port or outlet to connect to the network. Users regularly share their smartphone chargers with each other.
But with wearable devices, losing power can be a real problem. And if you don’t have your own charger at hand, then you will most likely have to watch the picture of how your gadget is discharged to zero, because you can’t count on the use of chargers from other electronics.
Every time I spend a couple of hours in the gym, I am forced to practice without music and tracking the results of the workout. And when traveling, I sometimes had to put my watch into power saving mode, because I didn’t know exactly when I could charge it.
Of course, you can buy an additional charger, but it is unlikely that you will be able to do this in a regular store, especially if we are not talking about the Apple Watch. Most likely, you will have to search for it online from a large retailer like Amazon or directly from the manufacturer.
Proprietary Chargers Are Planned Obsolescence
The second problem is related to the end of the life of the chargers. Inevitably, the moment will come when companies will stop producing current mobile devices, moving to more modern ones. Yes, they will support older gadgets for a while, but then they will stop selling chargers if they are not compatible with the latest generation of smartwatches. So, no matter how much you love your Fenix ​​3, both Garmin itself and third-party accessory manufacturers will lose interest in it over time.
In fact, this is planned obsolescence. This is understandable, because businesses do not have endless resources, and users do not update watches and fitness trackers as often as smartphones.
As a result, most wearables lack niche accessories that make life easier. Of course, Samsung, for example, sells special cradles for wireless charging of Galaxy Watch smartwatches, but this is an exception that proves the rule. Perhaps the most fortunate owners of the Apple Watch, but they will certainly benefit if Apple supports the implementation of a single standard.
What is the answer?
Assuming wearable device manufacturers ever try universal charging, it’s clearly not going to be USB-C ports. Most of these gadgets already do not have enough internal space, given that a processor, battery, memory modules and various sensors need to be squeezed into a small case that fits on the wrist. In addition, integrating a USB Type-C port will prevent the issue of protecting internal components from dust and water.
Qi wireless charging technology would be ideal, but wearable devices require smaller coils and therefore lower capacity than smartphones. There are very few Qi-enabled wearables on the market right now, except for the Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro.
Yes, it is possible to create Qi chargers in custom sizes, but they will only work effectively with specific products. But it is possible that in the future, industry leaders such as Fitbit, Fossil, Garmin and Samsung will come together and decide to implement a common Qi-based wearable charging format. Yes, in this case, you still won’t be able to use the wireless charger from your smartphone to recharge your smartwatch, but at least you can go to the nearest store and buy a spare charger for your wearable gadget there.
What are the prospects for universal charging?
So far, there is no hint that manufacturers will agree to adopt a universal standard in the near future. Smart accessory form factors are constantly changing, and branded chargers support this evolution, as manufacturers don’t have to worry about fixed features like a universal jack when designing. In the case of chargers, the binding to the platform also works. So, if you already have a Samsung wireless charging platform, then your next smartwatch will most likely be a model of the same Korean brand, and not, for example, Fitbit.
In other words, while manufacturers of smart accessories do not have good reasons to change. These could be consumer backlash against disparate charges or increased profits by switching to universal charging technology and lowering the cost of components.
Incidentally, tech industries sometimes adopt consumer-friendly standards in the hope of expanding the market as a whole. One of the best examples of this is Matter, a future protocol for smart home devices. And while only time will tell how well it addresses compatibility and networking issues, we can hope the wearables industry will take note as well.
Warning: This is a translation of the Android Authority article.
Source: Trash Box
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
