Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has introduced Mi Air Charge, a remote charging technology designed to power devices wirelessly across a room. According to the company, the system can charge multiple devices at the same time, and a phone can even be charged on the go. It is a step beyond the pad-based wireless charging most people use today.
The announcement positions Xiaomi alongside a small group of brands chasing true over-the-air power delivery for phones, wearables and other gadgets.
How Xiaomi introduced Mi Air Charge technology
Xiaomi explained in a blog post how the system works. At its core is a large transmitter, roughly the size of a side table you might keep at home. That transmitter is capable of delivering 5W wireless charging to a smartphone.
This approach has nothing to do with the Qi standard used by conventional wireless pads. Instead, the phone needs to be designed or outfitted with a miniaturized antenna array, including a built-in beacon antenna and a receiving antenna array.
- The smartphone should have 14 antennas capable of converting a millimeter-wave signal.
- That signal is turned into electric energy through a rectifier circuit.
- The transmitter beams 5W of power to the device over the air.
Charging multiple devices at once
Xiaomi says many devices can be charged simultaneously at 5W through its remote charging technology. The company also claims that no physical object will be able to interrupt the charging, and that a device can be powered from several meters away.
Wearables, rivals and availability
Through a teaser, Xiaomi revealed that Mi Air Charge will be compatible with smartwatches, fitness bands and other wearables, extending the concept well beyond phones.
Xiaomi is not the first to show off the idea. Oppo introduced similar technology in April 2020. In a demo video, a charging orb was shown transmitting the charging signal to the Oppo Reno Ace Infinity, a system Oppo called FreeVOOC Air Charging. However, it was never launched.
When will it launch and how much will it cost?
For now, Xiaomi has not said when Mi Air Charge technology will officially launch. It is also unclear whether such technology will ever reach everyday users. What can be said is that if it does launch, its price is expected to be extremely high.
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Charging power | 5W wireless |
| Transmitter size | About the size of a side table |
| Required phone antennas | 14 (millimeter-wave) |
| Standard | Not Qi-based |
| Supported devices | Smartphones, smartwatches, fitness bands, wearables |
