Apple iPhone 8, 8 Plus & X Launch Confirms Wireless Charging Rumors

apple iphone 7 launch camp fans

Getty Apple fans from eastern Europe camp out in front of the Berlin Apple store ahead the sales launch of the new Apple iPhone 7 on September 15, 2016.

Apple confirmed that the new iPhone models—iPhones 8, 8 Plus, and X—will feature wireless charging capabilities at the company’s product launch on Tuesday.

Once just a pipe dream, wireless charging is rapidly becoming a standard in the smartphone world. Samsung has supported the technology on multiple devices for several years now, including the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge,Note 5, S6 and S6 Edge. Microsoft offers wireless charging capabilities on many of its Lumia models, as does Google on its Nexus devices and BlackBerry on the Priv.

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Prior to the launch of the iPhone 7 last year, speculation abounded as to whether Apple would include the feature on the new edition. However, Bloomberg reported in January 2016 that the company was staffing up on wireless charging experts but did not expect the tech to be implemented until at least 2017.

According to the report, the company was hoping to wait until they could unveil a product with the ability to charge from across a room; Qi charging, the current wireless standard, usually requires that the phone and charger plate be in physical contact. However, they did include Qi wireless charging in the Apple Watch.

wireless charging

A wireless lamp charger by Powermat is displayed at the 3GSM World congress in Barcelona, on February 17, 2011.

A massive leak on the newest iOS version over the weekend further sparked excitement when a developer pointed out strings of code that suggested the new phones would indeed support wireless charging.

Speaking from the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s new San Fransisco campus, Apple execs confirmed that iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X will feature wireless charging technology, but it will be the standard Qi technology instead of an Apple-style upgrade. Maybe next launch, Apple…