Xiaomi announced a number of new products today (March 29), led by the new Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra But in addition to announcing a new phone and fitness band, the Chinese company took aim at Apple in a new way by offering a charging accessory that Apple was unable to bring to market

It was AirPower, Apple's attempt to create a wireless charging pad that supposedly could charge multiple products at once; announced in 2017 but discarded in 2019 without ever shipping, Apple said it discontinued AirPower due to heat dissipation concerns Then in 2021, Xiaomi announced a new wireless charging pad

Although it doesn't have a fancy name, Xiaomi's charging pad certainly has a lot of potential: thanks to 19 Qi induction coils, the pad can charge up to three devices Each device gets 20W of power, which is fairly standard for a wireless charging pad; it's not as blazingly fast as OnePlus' 50W wireless charger or Xiaomi's newly announced 80W Mi wireless charging stand set, but it is still a great way to wirelessly charge several at once In exchange for the convenience of being able to wirelessly charge multiple devices at once, it would still be fine

With so many coils crammed into one place, your devices (phone, watch, earphone case, etc) will find what works for them and start accepting the juice The bottom is so wide that, if strategically placed, you can fit three devices in a Xiaomi pad

In addition to the announcement, Xiaomi wanted to make fun of Apple's failure to find a solution The Chinese company spent the better part of two years claiming to have solved the problem and showed off an iPhone that charges with a new pad These attacks do not seem so unwarranted After all, we have all been led to believe that if any company can find a solution to a technological problem, it is Apple

Xiaomi claims that its new wireless charging pad is virtually silent, basically saying "you can't hear it" The pad sells for 599 yuan in China, equivalent to roughly $90 in the US It's an expensive wireless charger, but if it promises ultimate convenience, it may be worth it Now if only it could do contactless charging, it would be perfect

Xiaomi better watch out, as AirPower seems to have been reborn