IKEA Sjomake makes DIY hidden wireless charging a $40 upgrade
IKEA is making it easy to hide wireless charging in your nightstand, desk, or coffee table, with the new Sjömäke wireless pad keeping its Qi out of sight. Unlike IKEA's earlier charging pads, which slot into circular cut-outs in the tabletop, this new high-power pad is intended to hide underneath yet still allow for wireless charging through the surface.
In fact, IKEA claims, it should work just fine through tables and other worktops that are 3/8" to 7/8" thick, just as long as they're not metal. The Swedish retailer includes double-sided tape for mounting it underneath, though there's also support for screws or other fixings if you prefer.
Plug in the six foot long power cable, meanwhile, and then you have a discreetly hidden Qi charging pad. IKEA includes some stickers that you can optionally use on the top of the table or nightstand, so that you know whereabouts to position your phone or other device for best charging results. Or, you can leave them off altogether, and have the whole thing seem a little more magical.
The pad is a fairly uninspiring design, given it's intended to be hidden from sight. It's 1-inches thick, 7-inches long, and 3-inches wide. An indicator LED on the side shows whether or not it's actively charging a device, though of course there's a fair chance that you won't be able to see that in day to day use.
Indeed, IKEA says that you really shouldn't use the pad with a phone or other device without anything in-between. According to the user manual, there should be at least around 8mm between the two, presumably because IKEA has tuned the charging coils to take into account some sort of gap.
As for the charging rate, expect around 5W. Less, certainly, than you'd get from some of the other Qi pads on the market right now, but certainly sufficient if you're leaving your phone to one side as you sleep or work.
Currently, the Sjömäke is listed at $39.99 on IKEA's site, though it's not yet available to order. The retailer confirmed to The Verge that it will be going on sale in October, both in the US and in other international stores, both at its physical locations and online.
This isn't, of course, IKEA's first flirtation with wireless charging. Back in 2018, the company ran a high-profile welcome campaign for the iPhone 8, highlighting how Apple's addition of Qi support meant that the smartphone would now work with the Swedish company's chargers that were build into tables, lamps, and more.