Lenovo has recently unveiled several new products under its Lenovo Go accessory line, which includes mobile power banks, mice, headphones and more. One particular device from the list, the Go Wireless Charging Kit, is perhaps the more interesting of the bunch. What it does is that it can convert compatible laptops to support wireless charging capability.
The Lenovo Go Wireless Charging Kit consists of a 3.2mm brushed metal charging mat and a wireless charging receiver strip that can be attached to the base of a laptop. The first accessory is pretty straight forward; simply plug it to a power socket and it is ready to use. Meanwhile, the star of the show is actually the accompanying receiver strip which features a wireless charging technology known as “Power by Contact”, developed by Lenovo strategic partner Energy Square.
Unlike Qi-based or MagSafe standards, Power by Contact (PbC) is a niche charging tech that relies on electric conduction rather than coil-based transmitters and receivers. This enables the technology to be fitted into tiny squares or a long strip, such as the one used by Lenovo. Aside from supporting smaller form factors, adding to its uniqueness – as mentioned earlier – is the ability to convert almost any device to receive wireless charging. This is done simply by connecting the receiver to a gadget via a compatible port – specifically, via USB-C in regards to the Go Wireless Charging Kit.
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Basically, all you have to do is connect the PbC wireless charging receiver strip to your laptop’s USB-C port and it’ll be ready for use with the included charging mat. Of course, like most wireless charging transmitters, you’re required to plug it into a power source in order to get things rolling. The company claims that the Lenovo Go charging mat is able to deliver quick charging speeds of up to 65W when connected to the receiver.
Sure, converting your laptop to include wireless charging support is definitely cool, but what are the drawbacks? For starters, the Lenovo Go Wireless Charging Kit’s receiver will only work with laptops that feature USB-C charging. Secondly, the charging mat will only work with other PcB compatible receivers. Therefore meaning that you can forget about using it to charge your phone or other Qi-based devices.
Regardless, it’s still a cool piece of technological innovation, especially for the laptop side of things. The new Lenovo Go Wireless Charging Kit is slated to be released by October 2021 for US$140 (~RM582). It is not known whether the company is planning to have this set of accessories to be available in Malaysia at the moment.
