Wireless Charging Will Get More Convenient And Faster With Qi2
One thing that Apple accessories for iPhones like to boast about is their support for the company’s MagSafe technology. This makes it easy to attach your phone to wireless chargers and power banks without needing to worry about whether they’re aligned properly or secured well. It’s even used for other non-charging accessories, like PopSockets.
Android users like myself have looked on from the sidelines, waiting for the day when a similar feature will find its way to Android, and that might be sooner than we expect. The Qi2 wireless charging standard, developed by the Wireless Power Consortium, was made official late last year. With it comes many perks, one of which is the “Magnetic Power Profile” — essentially being gifted by Apple to the standard. That means MagSafe, or the essence of it, is no longer an exclusive thing.
Qi2 will give you 15W charging, three times as much as the original Qi standard allowed. In addition, being able to align your smartphone perfectly with the charger (thanks to magnets) means faster charging speeds and less heat production. Plus, it opens up an entirely new world of accessories for Android devices that adopt the standard.
You’ll Be Able To Ditch Those Magnetic Cases For Your Android
Since there are very few Android phones with any magnetic wireless charging, some accessory makers have resorted to affixing magnetic rings in the cases of the phones instead. This way, you can attach MagSafe-compatible devices to the case (which in turn attaches it to the phone).
But once we start getting Qi2-compatible Android smartphones, you won’t need to do all of that. They’ll be able to attach without using these kinds of cases. With strong enough magnets, any case should do the job!
Which Android Phones Support Qi2?
The list of Android phones that support Qi2 wireless charging is extremely short — in fact, it is non-existent because there are none. The standard was finalized late last year, so it may take some time to see it in production smartphones.
The only phones that support Qi2 are the devices in the iPhone 15 series, and that’s because Apple was closely involved in developing the new standard (so we’ll let them have that one). The phones launched before the Qi2 standard was official, so Qi2 charging was only activated after the iOS 17.2 update. Hopefully, the first Qi2 Android phone will show up before the end of the year.
