Bold claims: When it comes to gadgets, nothing is truly wireless, unless there is freedom of movement in the user experience. Wireless headsets accomplished this feat a few years ago, and if you ask Xiaomi, it looks like wireless charging did too. The company says its new Mi Air Charge technology can remotely charge multiple devices (5W each) over several meters without interference from physical obstacles.
Counterpoint: While it is great to see innovation and advancement in technology, this Xiaomi ad is purely a marketing ad campaign and will almost certainly never reach the market. From an engineering perspective, the efficiency of these transmitters is so low that this device would likely require 1000 W + of input power to deliver 5 W to a phone. Unless the phone is kept in a precise position, no power will be supplied. This means that you cannot place your phone on a table, you cannot rotate it, and you cannot cover it with your hand. In addition, the cost could easily be $ 1000 +. Advertisements like these happen every few months and, without fail, are never a real product.
The Qi wireless charging standard that most electronics currently employ still requires that the host and receiver be very close, accepting no more than 4 cm (1.6 inches) for charging. And while the power output has gradually improved over the years, companies like Xiaomi have created their own proprietary wireless fast charging solutions that have recently reached insane 80W, albeit with the distance limitation still in place.
In its latest announcement, the Chinese conglomerate unveiled Mi Air Charge, a technology that, he said, allows true wireless charging “within a radius of several meters”. The internally developed technology uses phased antennas to locate and direct radio waves to the receiving device, which also has a built-in antenna set to convert these waves into electrical energy for charging.
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Xiaomi also notes that the Mi Air Charge can simultaneously activate multiple devices at 5W and that physical objects do not interfere with the technology’s charging efficiency. The company’s goal is to make it work with smartwatches, wearables and smart home products, such as table lamps and speakers. Don’t expect, however, that Mi Air Charge will appear on the market anytime soon, as long as a Xiaomi executive tweeted in a reply that technology will not reach consumer products this year.
It remains to be seen how the Mi Air Charge will affect Xiaomi’s hardware prices in the future and whether users will switch their fast-charging equipment (cables, power banks, wall chargers) for 5W of truly wireless charging. The company may also need to address security concerns and actually send the Mi Air Charge to prove that “it’s not science fiction, it’s technology”.
Editor’s note: Added counterpoint, written by William Gayde.