Ikea's $40 hidden wireless charger will recharge your iPhone through your desk
Ikea has introduced Sjomarke, a Qi-compatible charger that can turn desks and shelves into a wireless charging point, by being secretly installed underneath the surface.
While there are a number of furniture products and devices with embedded wireless charging coils on the market, there are relatively few options for people who want to add wireless charging to an existing piece of furniture, without using a visible wireless charger. With Ikea's latest release, it aims to solve that with the Sjomarke.
Priced at $39.99, the wireless charging pad measures seven inches by three inches and is encased in plastic. Though not necessarily great to look at, the intent is for it not to be seen in regular use at all.
The idea is to mount the Sjomarke charging pad on the underside of a desk, shelf, or another surface, and for it to automatically charge any wireless charging compatible devices placed and aligned with the unit on the opposite side. A cross sticker is supplied, to denote where on the top of the surface users should place their iPhone for charging.
Mountable with tape or screws, the system requires a desktop or shelf that is at least 8mm to a maximum of 22mm (5/16 inches to 7/8 inches) to work properly and safely. Ikea warns that the charger should not be used directly with an iPhone or other devices, as it is intended for indirect charging through material like wood or plastic.
A six-foot-long cable is supplied for power, as well as the power supply itself.
Ikea lists the Sjomarke Wireless Charger on its website, but it is currently out of stock at all U.S. stores, and is unavailable for home delivery at the time of publication.
The hidden wireless charger is Ikea's latest move in tech. The furniture giant has an extensive range of smart devices, with many including support for HomeKit and AirPlay 2.
neilm
Interesting. The obvious question is this: how inefficient is it?
timusca
neilm said:
No doubt the answer is "extremely". Wireless charging gets more inefficient the further the device is from the coils, which makes this inefficient by design.
ITGUYINSD
The obvious question to me is, how do you pronounce this? I walk into Ikea and ask for a "ess-joe-markee"? :)
slow n easy
timusca said:
I think that is jumping to conclusions. You can't charge your iPhone directly on the device itself or it sounds like you would wreck your iPhone. You have to have a piece of wood or plastic in between the device and the iPhone by design. So I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it's inefficient.
I'm not sure I would like this design, though, because it has to line up perfectly in order to charge. That is why I felt so frustrated with my Belkin charger and why I feel like MagSafe is a game changer for me. I will never again buy a non MagSafe charger.
shareef777
slow n easy said:
Absolutely agree. Before Magsafe I always felt that wireless charging was too much a PIA to align that I usually avoided it. Especially for my nightstand. Bumbling around at night to find the puck and having to use two hands while lying in bed to make sure it's centered so that it'd charge was a nightmare. Happened far too often that my wife would wake up with a dead phone because it was never aligned properly.
Magsafe is a game changer. I have those magical pucks EVERYWHERE.
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