Remember AirPower? Apple had big plans for the charging mat when it was launched nearly a year ago. Since then, however, the iPhone/Apple Watch/AirPod accessory has been MIA for reasons no one outside of the Cupertino spaceship is entirely sure of.
Today at the big Note 9 event in Brooklyn, Samsung unveiled its own take on the tech. Granted, it’s perhaps less ambitious than Apple’s place-it-anywhere approach to charging, but at very least, there seems the very real possibility that it may still launch ahead of the competition.
The Wireless Charging Duo has two distinct surfaces: one for Galaxy handsets and the other for the company’s smartwatch. The upright design on the former means users can stand it up next to a bedside and use it as an alarm. It’s a slightly healthier habit than actually sleeping with the phone (writes the guy who woke up this morning on top of his own phone as the alarm was going off).
Of course, we know that the Note 9 is making its debut onstage today (along with practically every other piece of information about the thing), but the device may also pave the way for the anticipated release of the Galaxy Watch. The new mystery wearable could either launch today, or at IFA in a few weeks, which has traditionally been the stage for the company’s smartwatch announcements.