I am a long-time iPhone user, who switched to Android after a while. Apple forced to adopt USB-CEven if it takes until the iPhone 16 is released, you can be sure of that. Apple Claims(opens in a new tabThis will cause e-waste. But there are better ways to waste money than making people buy new cables each time they change their devices.
A universal charging standard works. So with government legislation “solving” phone charging, I turned my thoughts to the tangled, anarchic web of wearable and smartwatch chargers, which could certainly use some kind of intervention — governmental or otherwise.
Garmin is just one example of a brand that has adopted a single standard. Own devices. Amazfit, for example, uses one type of charger to charge watches and another to charge fitness trackers. Fitbit, for example, creates a brand new charger for each watch it makes. No matter what brand you choose to use, your cables will be useless if you change to a different watch or tracker.
“Wearables come as many different shapes and sizes, so enforcing universal charging standards is likely to cause more harm than good.”
Smartwatch charging is the ideal example of e–waste. I was intrigued to know why smartwatches don’t use the same charging standards. Jitesh Ubrani (IDC’s global device tracker research manager) quickly dismissed my idea.
He warned me that wearables come as many different shapes and sizes, and that imposing a universal charging standard will likely do more harm than good in this stage of the market.
“Regulating charging standards would be a stifling of innovation today that would likely hurt consumers as well as governments even more than multiple chargers.”
Smartwatch manufacturers have every reason to be messy
Major cities Android watchApple Watches and brands have begun to use USB-C charging. Each brand uses a magnetic wireless pad with their own coil that matches the new chips and sensors that they have.
It can result in bizarre situations. Pixel WatchOfficially charges Qi chargers for some, but not for others depending on which Wireless chargerYou can also make your own. It can also be connected to the official Galaxy Watch 5Charger, but Samsung’s smartwatch doesn’t charge on Google.
You will be amazed at the epic failures of people like this Galaxy Watch 5 ProIt was impossible to use reverse wireless charging due to Samsung’s default band. This is clear evidence that most watch designers don’t have the ability to see beyond their watch and adhere to a charging standard. Because a watch blueprint can be much more variable than a smartphone’s, it can be difficult to plan ahead.
Ubrani stated that smartwatches are not as ubiquitous as smartphones, and that forcing companies to adopt certain technologies could lead to governments reducing price competition and slowing down growth in the smartwatch market.
Adopting a Qi standard or using the same size coils as previous generations can mean ignoring key features that could attract buyers. Naturally.Companies will make new cables while they talk about their green initiatives.
Smartwatch design is a delicate balance act. A mandated wireless charging coil could stifle innovation.
This applies especially to FitbitsThey’re small and lightweight smartwatches, which maximize battery life. Each company does this differently. This means that a charger’s contacts or pogo pins won’t fit into a tracker of another brand, even though they are the same size.
One thing is certain about fitness watch chargers: they stink! Although direct pogo pin ports are fast enough to charge your watch, you will find that the slot is not perfect and it won’t charge. To register the watch, magnetic chargers must be correctly placed.
These chargers are still far better than those bulky chargers that used to be attached to trackers. We can only hope that these brands continue to improve. It would be hard to know what standard they’d use if a government agency required them to. Should be!
USB-C is more widely known and efficient than any other type of cable. It’s just a bunch Lightning-esque cables, which never touch the exact same place twice. It’s all just a bunch of Lightning-esque cables that never strike the same place twice. Garmin watchesAlthough Qi charging was added, it reduced battery life and made the device bulkier. I’m sure most people wouldn’t appreciate this adjustment.
Waiting for tech to catch up
In the immediate future, Ubrani believes that brands like Fitbit have started to catch on to the fact that “too many chargers aren’t good for business and they are already making moves to reduce diversity.” They will continue to develop their charging strategy and not look at others. However, they will likely stop issuing cables that are obsolete in the next year.
If we look specifically at lifestyle watches, Ubrani says that ” I can see wireless charging becoming more ubiquitous in the coming years as costs come down and power consumption amongst smartwatches is reduced, thereby making wireless charging more viable.”
At ThatHe believes that regulators are still “years away” from regulating the technology for great brands. But these brands are likely to fight back just like Apple.
This is the case when it launched Fossil Gen6 Wellness EditionFossil explained that wireless charging would “enlarge the watch” and that the device is too slow. It uses a charging pad that has contact points. Our reviewer stated that the watch charges very fast and can charge from almost dead to full in a matter of minutes.
Because there isn’t a single “best” charging cable option, we may have to accept a Wild West in terms of standards for charging cables.
USB-C has become the most widely used charging method for phones. Best option. For a good boost in speed, the Apple Watch Series 8 or Galaxy Watch 5 can use USB C magnetic charging. However, would smaller brands such as Fossil be compelled to copy them? Ubrani states “absolutely”
Would someone mandate a universal standard based on its pervasiveness? Or quality? It’s not an easy question to answer. Because smartwatches are not as common or essential to daily life, governments may ignore this question for a while as they fill up their dumpsters and closets with useless cables.
I was ready to give out an autocratic charging cable czar ruling on one charging standard that all wearables should adopt. It’s likely, however, that the USB-C equivalent is not yet in place. We’ll have to accept a Wild West of charging cables standards for the next ten years.
