Qi2 standard accelerates wireless charging evolution with magnetic convenience across brands

The Qi2 open standard, building on Apple’s MagSafe technology, is transforming wireless charging with magnetic alignment, faster speeds, and cross-brand compatibility, moving beyond niche accessory status into mainstream use.

MagSafe began as one of Apple’s more unexpected hardware ideas on the iPhone 12: a simple magnetic ring placed around the wireless charging coil. What looked at first like a convenience feature quickly became a practical way to align a phone with chargers, stands and battery packs without faffing with cables. According to Engadget, that ease of use helped turn a niche accessory system into something many users now treat as part of the everyday iPhone experience.

The key distinction is that MagSafe is Apple’s branded implementation, while Qi2 is the open standard that borrows the same magnetic approach for non-Apple devices. The Wireless Power Consortium built Qi2 around Apple’s magnetic power profile, and the result is functionally very close to MagSafe: a phone snaps into position on a compatible charger, improving alignment and making wireless charging more consistent. Macworld and Gear Patrol both note that the practical experience is nearly the same, though Qi2 accessories are often cheaper than Apple’s own MagSafe-branded equivalents.

That shift matters because Qi2 is no longer just theory. Engadget says only a small number of Android phones have built Qi2 into the device itself so far, with Google’s Pixel 10 line presented as the clearest example through its PixelSnap ecosystem. Other manufacturers have taken a looser approach, putting magnets into cases or accessories instead of the handset. Samsung has argued that this is sufficient, a position it repeated at the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, according to Engadget.

Charging speeds are also moving forward. Macworld reports that iPhone 12 through iPhone 15 models support up to 15W charging with MagSafe or Qi2, while newer iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 models can reach 25W with certified Qi2 25W chargers. That makes Qi2 less of a clone than an evolution: it preserves the magnetic convenience of MagSafe while broadening the market around a shared standard that can work across brands.