If you have wireless charging in your phone or tablet, odds are good that it's based on the Qi standard. However, Qi isn't the only standard out there. The Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) have agreed to merge in hopes of standing up to the current market leader.

6a

After Qi, PMA is a distant second in wireless charging. A few phones have come with this standard built-in, like the AT&T variant of the LG G3. A4WP promotes the Rezence standard, which has yet to be commercialized, although it has some interesting features including the use of Bluetooth to control power levels, multi-device charging, and a peak output of 50 watts. Merging the two organizations will result in a more advanced wireless charging standard, but maybe it will be too late.

Qi is handled by the Wireless Power Consortium, which obviously isn't part of the above arrangement. Consumers have shown they don't want to attach cases to their phones simply to charge wirelessly, and Qi is the most common standard to be built into phones. If the newly merged alliance wants to give Qi a run for its money, they need to be inside devices. The merger is expected to complete by the middle of the year.

[Rezence]