- The charging station transmits energy directly to the phone using a system of antennas
- The manufacturer promises a charging power of 5W and the ability to charge several devices at once
- It will be available only for smartphones with special wireless technology
Are you a fan of wireless charging? Then you will be interested in a new technology introduced by Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone (and other smart devices) manufacturer.
On the company’s Twitter and official mi.com blog, Xiaomi has introduced the revolutionary technology of wireless charging of smartphones and other smart electronics in future. So-called Xiaomi Mi Air Charge does not require you, as with conventional wireless charging, to place the phone on a charging pad (or magnetically connect with MagSafe), as you will just need to have your phone anywhere within the range of the Mi Air charging station.
The Xiaomi Mi Air Charge is a white block with a minimalistic, sleek design, cut-out backlit sides and a display. It doesn’t look like a small portable device, as much as a large side table.
The station emits energy for wireless charging with the manufacturer’s stated power of 5W, which is the same as you get out of your laptop’s USB port. Inside the Mi Air Charge, there are a total of five antennas able to locate the exact location in the area where the smartphone is located.
Subsequently, 144 smaller antennas hidden inside the block will be sending narrow millimetre-wide waves beam (in the frequency range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz) directly to the phone.
This type of charging is therefore very different from the Qi standard, commonly used in today’s wireless charging pads. Xiaomi also states that compatible smartphones have to be equipped with a special antenna receiving the energy and an inbuilt integrated circuit to convert the “beam” into the actual current flowing into the battery.
In a radius of several meters, the Mi Air Charge is able to charge several devices at once. According to the manufacturer, physical obstacles should (surprisingly) not reduce the charging efficiency, but to confirm that, we will have to wait for the first reviews when the product is released. In the future, the charging station may also be compatible with smartwatches and other wireless charging products.
As Xiaomi hasn’t revealed any more specific information such as the Mi Air Charge’s price or release date, we recommend looking at the Xiaomi Mi Air Charge station as an interesting prototype rather than a device that will soon appear in our homes.
