Ikea has been in the wireless charging game for a while, with desks that offer built-in charging docks for compatible phones. Now, however, you can add Wireless Qi charging to your workspace without having to redecorate – thanks to the Sjömärke.
The wonderfully-named device is designed to work through wood and plastic; by fastening it to the underside of a desk you can create a wireless charging region just above it on the topside. This should mean that you can easily make space for it even if your workstation is as cluttered as some of ours.
Before you go ahead and buy one though, make sure your table fits with what Ikea recommends; you’ll want a wood or plastic desk that’s between 8-22 mm (or 0.31-0.87 inches) thick. You can find out more details from the digital manual.
Right now we’ve only seen a listing in the US for the Sjömärke and it’s priced at $39.99. We’ve reached out to Ikea for details on its availability in the UK and Australia, if we find out more we’ll be sure to add them here.
Opinion: wired charging is a relic
Over the weekend we argued that the newly announced iPhone 13 is practically a portless iPhone at this point. Given the options offered by BlueTooth and Qi charging (or proprietary tech like Apple’s MagSafe), you could very easily never plug your smartphone into anything.
Ikea’s Sjömärke charger shows that we aren’t the only ones who feel wireless charging will soon be a dominating force. It has been championing the tech for years ahead of its competitors, and its latest gadget will make it easy for you to DIY wireless charging into the desk you already own.
Wireless charging just feels more convenient too. We’ve all forgotten to plug our phone in at night to wake up to 4% of battery life left – it would have been much easier to just plonk it on a pad on a nearby surface. It’s also safer from a data perspective, as you never know if a public wired charging port is secretly trying to steal your phone’s info – whereas wireless charging has no such risks.
We reckon it’ll be at least another year before a company is brave enough to announce a portless phone, but when it comes it’ll be a long-overdue announcement.
