While it may have just recently come to the likes of the iPhone, wireless charging is nothing new. That said, there’s still something oddly satisfying about placing your cell phone on a surface and having it magically charge without fumbling around with cables. And it seems that Sweden’s home goods monster wants in on the magic.
Ikea has just announced a new wireless charging pad, as first reported by The Verge, but that alone doesn’t warrant much fanfare. What is exciting about the new charging pad is where you place it.
Ikea’s new Sjomarke is a $40 wireless charging pad that’s designed to go under a desk or table, as opposed to standard charging pads that require you to make direct contact with the pad to charge. Attach the charging pad under your desk — making sure said desk’s surface is between 8 and 22 millimeters (.31 to .87 inches) thick, to ensure the magnetic field isn’t blocked — using either double-sided tape, which is included, or screws, which come separately.
The charger will work on a desk or table of any material except metal, Ikea notes. One caveat: the Sjomarke is equipped with the Qi 1.2.4 charging standard, which supplies a fairly low 5 watts of power, so don’t expect your phone to charge quickly.
In addition, to keep you from sliding your phone around your desk like a lunatic when looking for the charger’s location, Ikea includes an X-shaped sticker to place atop the desk to easily track down the Sjomarke.
Ikea’s Sjomarke is not the first of its kind —though it is one of the cheapest. Kew Labs makes the $150 UTS-1, and Humanscale has the $149 NeatCharge, both of which charge devices faster than Ikea’s. At $40, however, the Sjomarke feels like a steal.