Apple may have had a hard time getting its AirPower multi-device charging pad to work, but just beyond the horizon is a new technology that promises to make wireless charging really wireless, and Xiaomi is the last company that promises a world without charging cables; we just don’t know when it will really come.
Wireless charging in its current form is definitely convenient, as it allows you to discharge a device such as a smartphone or headphones on a pad to recharge the battery without having to get any cables. But at the same time, so is it restrictive, which requires you to leave all devices on a desktop or auxiliary table until it is loaded. Really wireless charging is the ideal solution because, as long as you’re in the same room as a wireless power transmitter, your phone will charge regardless of where you are, even if you’re still using it on hand.
It sounds like total science fiction, but the technology exists and in 2016 it was called a company This is demonstrated working prototypes of its Cota wireless charging system at CES. A smartphone (updated with a special case) could be transported anywhere around the company stand and would continue to be loaded indefinitely. Today, Xiaomi has announced its own wireless charging ecosystem called “Mi Air Charge Technology” that seems to offer functionality (and limitations) similar to Ossetian Cota technology.
Instead of cables or a pair of aligned magnetic coils, Mi Air Charge uses a transmitter (about the size of a portable air conditioner) with antennas that accurately determine the location of a device, and then they use the formation of beams to emit wide waves ”towards it. A separate, smaller collection of antennas works as a receiver inside another device and converts wireless signals into about 5 watts of power, which supplies the iPhone’s small cube charger when connected. to an electrical outlet.
G / O Media may receive a commission
Xiaomi promises that the system can supply power to several devices at once, be it a smartphone, a tablet, a headset or even a pair of wireless batteries such as Ossia also proved a few years ago, this ensures that old devices never need a new pair. Distances are still limited to several meters, or about the size of an average room, but the technology is not hampered by physical obstacles, so the rugged power transmitter can be hidden out of sight.
It’s exciting to see more companies announcing wireless charging solutions like this because they help legitimize the technology, but unfortunately, meet up all we really have are ads. Since its debut at CES 2016, Ossia has not yet been released a wireless charging product available to consumers. And Xiaomi’s announcement today doesn’t even include vague promises about how long it will take the company to make its Mi Air charging technology available outside of its own R&D labs.
There are considerable challenges in making this technology safe and reliable, and unfortunately it is not compatible with later versions.. Going forward, Xiaomi could include the set of compact antenna receivers in its future smartphones, but your iPhone will not work with the system without a special carrying case, or Apple agrees to play well with Xiaomi. There is no doubt that wireless charging will one day be commonplace, we could even cover entire cities with wireless power instead of needing a transmitter in every room of the house, but for now, it is still nothing more than a demonstration of captivating technology.