What was the first smartphone to feature wireless charging?

The Palm Pre was the first smartphone to feature wireless charging, using Palm’s optional Touchstone charging system in 2009.

The Touchstone used inductive charging: electricity traveled wirelessly across a short gap between the dock and a compatible back cover. The Pre held itself against the dock magnetically and displayed a bedside-style clock while charging.

A common mix-up is the Nokia Lumia 920, which helped make wireless charging more familiar in 2012. Unlike the original Palm Pre, however, the Lumia 920 shipped with wireless charging built into the phone. The Palm Pre required the separate Touchstone back cover and dock, although the feature was available from the start.

The Pre also introduced Palm’s webOS, a gesture-based operating system admired for its card-style multitasking. Palm’s hardware and software ideas were influential, even though the company could not compete commercially with iPhone and Android.