Qi2's magnetic Android charging moment is finally almost here

Summary

A Qi2 Ready certification will allow Android phones to upgrade to Qi2 using only a case.
More companies are preparing phones with Qi2 built in, including Google and Samsung.
The first Qi2 Ready phone could be the Samsung Galaxy S25 in January 2025.

If you read sites like Pocket-lint, you’re probably aware of Qi2, an enhanced wireless charging standard. Think of it as a universal version of Apple’s MagSafe, found on most iPhones since 2020’s iPhone 12. Magnetic technology improves the efficiency of Qi charging — delivering up to 15W — while supporting a wide variety of magnetic accessories, ranging from stands and mounts to slap-on battery packs and wallets.

So far, though, the only Android phone to include Qi2 in its design is the HMD Skyline. You won’t even find it on flagships like the Google Pixel 9. All that may be about to change, finally, thanks to an updated Qi2 specification announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.

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Galaxy S24 FE lying in a patch of ferns.

According to the Wireless Power Consortium, Qi 2.1 incorporates a special “Qi2 Ready” certification that no longer requires phones to have magnets built in. While phones still need compatible charging coils, cases with magnets in the right position will upgrade a device to support Qi2.

We could be seeing the first Qi2-ready phones by the end of January 2025.

That’s important since the industry has been stuck in a Catch-22 situation so far. Without many Qi2 accessories for Android, there hasn’t been much incentive to spend money and design space on inserting magnets into phones. But without Qi2 phones, there hasn’t been much reason to make compatible accessories, at least beyond offering iPhone owners more flexibility.

You could be seeing the first Qi2-ready phones by the end of January 2025. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 is expected to be announced on January 22, and rumor has it that the phone will require a case for Qi2. It’s hard to imagine Samsung coming up with a workaround that doesn’t have the WPC’s blessing, but, at a minimum, Samsung has teased some form of Qi2 support on 2025 Galaxy phones. I’ll talk more about that in a moment.

The immediate question may be whether Samsung will have Qi2 cases ready from the jump. If it doesn’t, that could slow Qi2’s adoption a little, since many people will buy a conventional case at launch just to have some basic protection. If Qi2 cases are ready from the get-go, accessory makers and rival phone companies are more likely to get the message.

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The horizon is hazy

Pixel 8a free standing on a table with the home screen up.

The Wireless Power Consortium adds that we should see an “acceleration in Android devices with Qi2 built in during 2025.” Samsung is mentioned as being onboard, as is Google, which could imply that post-S25 releases and the Pixel 10 lineup will have integrated magnets, but no one knows for sure. Indeed, there’s still a chance that the S25 series will be Qi2-equipped out of the box, though I wouldn’t count on that given a lack of recent rumors to that end.

More interesting to me are some further comments from Google. The company says it’s helping to develop a future Qi 2.2 standard, which will include “Google’s contribution of its own high-power wireless charging technology.” That suggests that Qi 2.2 phones will support power levels beyond 15W, much like some Pixel phones when they’re paired with a Pixel Stand. The second-generation Pixel Stand is no longer available, and there was no replacement in time for the Pixel 9’s August 2024 launch. Google might not consider a third-gen Pixel Stand worth making until it’s Qi2-compatible without any speed sacrifices.

As for other Android phone makers, it’s anyone’s guess, although I’d expect to see Qi2 coming to flagship devices first before it becomes widespread. It’s an added selling point, and, of course, budget phones need to cut costs wherever they can. In other words, don’t expect a low-end Motorola candybar to get Qi2 until at least 2026.

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Is Qi2 really a big deal for Android?

A subtle upgrade with long-term potential

Broader Qi2 adoption won’t have a major impact at first. Qi2 is faster than Qi, certainly, but 15W isn’t all that quick compared to the 45W an S24 Ultra is capable of via USB-C, much less the 100W-plus wired charging on some Chinese devices. It won’t be the selling point that faster processors and better cameras tend to be.

The real impact will be increased convenience over time as Qi2 accessories become de facto.

Based on my experience with iPhones, the real impact will be increased convenience over time as Qi2 accessories become de facto. When I got my first MagSafe iPhone — an iPhone 13 — there still wasn’t a huge collection of MagSafe accessories, and I wasn’t in a rush to switch away from cables I’d paid good money for. As I needed new accessories like battery packs, however, it just made sense to buy MagSafe options to reduce clutter. Now that I have an iPhone 16 Pro, the only times I use a USB cable are when I’m at my laptop or in my car. Otherwise, I use a MagSafe stand at my bedside or a MagSafe battery when I’m on the go.

Likewise, Android users will probably slowly transition to a new world with each new add-on. By 2030 we’ll be looking back at wired charging as kind of antiquated, especially if Qi2 speeds start to catch up. If so, it could be that smartphones will lose USB ports entirely.