Chinese OEM Xiaomi took to its official WeChat channel yesterday to confirm to fans that the upcoming Mi 7 flagship will indeed sport wireless charging, among other details. The company revealed that it will be tapping US tech firm Integrated Device Technology for the wireless charging module. The price per unit was not revealed, but a common configuration is available online to consumers for about $5 USD. This corroborates with previous reports, though Xiaomi did not seem to specify which model of wireless charger from IDC that it plans to use. The company’s range of products goes from a 3-watt single direction model to a 15-watt bi-directional one, which means that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will be compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard, with charging speeds possibly rivaling first or second generation cable-based charging standards.
In addition to getting the wireless charging module from IDC, Xiaomi is planning to use the American company’s range of RF products as well, which means that the wireless antennae may just be fully compatible with US wireless bands. Naturally, the knock-on effect here is that the Xiaomi Mi 7 may well be the first flagship Xiaomi device to be sold through carriers in the United States. American Xiaomi fans have always had the option to import through resellers like Amazon, Gearbest, and Newegg, but Xiaomi has not yet created an official channel for people in the States to buy its flagship smartphones. Officially, the US portal of its website only sells accessories.
As a refresher, the Xiaomi Mi 7 thus far seems to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor paired with 6GB of RAM on board, sitting underneath a 6-inch full-frame screen, akin to the Essential Phone and the Apple iPhone X. The panel itself is said to be an OLED unit made by Samsung. Twin 16-megapixel cameras are set to adorn the back of the device. The fingerprint scanner is also rumored to be back there. As for new features, a face unlock is reportedly in the works, which will deviate from current market norms with 3D mapping to set itself apart. A 3,350mAh battery will supposedly be keeping the lights on. The initial sale price is rumored to be 2,699 Yuan, or roughly $400 USD.
