Within a year, you’ll be able to wirelessly recharge your earbuds with your phone. You’ll also be able to recharge a stylus using an NFC-enabled tablet—or almost any small IoT device without cables.

Major manufacturers have already developed these products, and the NFC Forum, a global industry standards body, has created the necessary NFC wireless charging standard specifications. Today, with more than 3 billion NFC-enabled smartphones in use, the market for NFC wireless charging is ready and accessible.

All the pieces are coming together to make 2023 the year of NFC wireless charging.

Why NFC wireless charging?

NFC technology is one of the most ubiquitous technologies on the planet: One-quarter of the world’s population already has access to it. According to a 2022 report by ABI Research, 85% of consumers use NFC technology, and nearly half prefer using their mobile phone or smartwatch to a contactless card for payment.

This pervasiveness is fueling the rise of NFC wireless charging in 2023 across mobile devices, including smartphones, smartwatches, fitness trackers and other wearables, as well as tablets and other handheld devices. Most of these already use NFC technology for data transfer and communication.

The drive toward NFC wireless charging started three years ago, when the NFC Forum released a wireless charging specification that transformed smartphones or other NFC-enabled devices into portable charging stations. This means that NFC-enabled devices can, without cables, wirelessly charge small battery-powered IoT devices with 1 W and eventually up to 3 W of power. These devices include fitness watches, wireless earbuds, digital stylus pens, smart glasses and other devices.

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