Back in March, IKEA announced that it’s going to add Qi chargers into some of its furniture. Today, the company released an update containing information about its plan to bring this type of charger to market. IKEA’s new furniture and wireless chargers will be sold in the U.S. “late spring” with the stand-alone wireless chargers starting at $28.
The cheapest available options will be some charging pads that you can use on top of your existing furniture that will go for $28 to $65. The $28 charging pad can charge two devices at once, while the $65 model can charge up to four smartphones.
You will also be able to order a Jyssen wireless charger for $30, and for $5 more IKEA will also give you a special drilling accessory to cut a matching slot in any piece of furniture you want.
Some of the new flagship smartphones come with Qi charging support, but the vast majority of smartphones on the market do not. IKEA will also sell charging cases for iPhone (4, 5, 5s, and 6) and Galaxy (S3, S4 and S5) phones for $15 to $25.
In terms of furniture that comes with built-in wireless chargers, IKEA will sell two bedroom nightstands for $60 and $110, and three lamps that will cost $70, $80 and $120 each.
There’s still a battle of wireless charging standards happening right now, with a winner that has yet to be decided. Last year, Starbucks announced that it will use Powermat (a Qi competitor) charging spots in its stores, which already gives the Powermat’s PMA technology a big head-start in the U.S. However, McDonalds has also started to test Qi chargers in its stores in Europe, giving IKEA an even bigger ally in the fight between the wireless charging standards, if McDonalds decides to stick with it.
As if that wasn’t enough, Ossia has also come out with yet another technology that promises long range wireless charging. However, that could end up serving a different type of market, one where products can’t be easily put on top of a charger on a tablet, the way it works with smartphones.
Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, has given up on trying to decide which charging technology will be the winner (at least for now) and is supporting both the Qi and PMA standards in the Galaxy S6. Perhaps in the short term this will end up being the best solution for OEMs to make sure their devices can charge wirelessly everywhere until companies such as IKEA, Starbucks and McDonalds all start backing a single standard.
