A few months ago, Apple announced that it won’t be releasing its long promised wireless AirPower charging mat that could simultaneously charge 3 devices at ago. It would supposedly be able to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously no matter where you placed them.
A wireless charging firm Zens is betting it can do some of what Apple couldn’t by introducing the Zens Liberty.
According to the company, the Liberty uses a set of 16 overlapping wireless charging coils to let you charge your Qi-compatible devices from any spot on the mat — just like AirPower was supposed to, though AirPower was rumored to have 21 to 24 coils. Unlike Apple’s device that was supposed to charge 3 devices, the Zens Liberty can charge two devices at once, but it charges each at 15 watts, faster than most wireless chargers.
When Apple announced that it will kill of its Airpower changer, it sighted several engineering challenges, we also don’t know if the Zens Liberty’s multi-coil design overcomes Apples, including overheating and possibly emitting signals more powerful than US or EU regulations would have allowed. If Apple couldn’t figure it out,we doubt whether Zens managed to do so.
If you’re willing to buy this product and have a go at it, Zens says the Zens Liberty will be available in two flavors this November: a $139.99 “Kvadrat edition,” which has a nice-looking fabric on top of the aluminum mat, and a $179.99 limited glass edition, which replaces the fabric with a pane of glass that lets you see the mat’s charging coils.
