Randall Munroe explained in an old XKCD comic how power, connectivity, and other standards pile up over time. Ambitious engineers who work to unify the many incompatible protocols often create another specification to add to the mix. Look at the confusion between USB connector formats and their power and bandwidth support.
Enough planning could help the industry mitigate or avoid such mayhem. Apple allowed Android to piggyback on MagSafe with Qi2, and manufacturers assembled via the Wireless Power Consortium to streamline today’s promising magnetic accessories. It could have led to a straightforward naming scheme that makes sense to average users. That’s why the WPC carving out the misleading Qi2 Ready label is frustrating, coincidentally just in time for Samsung to unveil the Galaxy S25 Series.
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The HMD Skyline in all its magnetic, repairable glory.
In the nuclear fusion energy of Android features, Qi2 has been just around the corner for a seeming eternity. The entry-level HMD Skyline introduced it but failed to generate much hype due to subpar hardware. Android users waited and whispered.
Rumors it would reach flagship level with the Galaxy S25 series drove those who care into a fever pitch. Given the WPC’s confirmation that a phone with the Qi2 logo must have magnets, the Galaxy S25 series’ required magnetic case excludes it from Qi2 marketing. Or does it?
The disappointing way we got here
You could always do this with magnetic cases.
Enterprising reporters uncovered a WPC logo spec sheet online in mid-2024. It indicated slightly different logos for devices that supported Qi2 with vs. without integrated magnets. As 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon and I noticed, that defied countless WPC claims. But the cat was out of the bag, and users wondered if the magnetic accessory dream was smoke and mirrors.
I sprang into action, employing the time-honored journalistic practice of asking the company about it on Twitter. “Qi2 does require magnets,” I ultimately shared, adding, “Qi2 phones will support the vast range of magnetic accessories.” Android users could finally rejoice.
Enter Qi2 Ready and other extensions
Our generation’s USB 3.2 Gen2
Peak Design makes several premium magnetic accessories, including a Qi2 charger.
Hold the celebrations, though, because a second standard just hit the industry. The WPC let manufacturers use Qi2 Ready to describe “smartphones and accessories such as cases” that “deliver the full Qi2 user experience when paired together in approved combinations.”
The WPC introduced a moving charging coil to solidify in-vehicle wireless charging, a legitimately useful new protocol. However, adding a new Qi2 tier that doesn’t support Qi2 poses a few problems. Most timely, it lets manufacturers boast of Qi2-capable phones without innovating anything. The last thing we need is another excuse for slow feature adoption.
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It muddies the water around a potentially great example of the fragmented Android industry working as one and in users’ favor. “This is a Qi2 phone” could indicate that it’ll snap onto a magnetic charger, no questions asked. Now, it’s another category we need to verify and add to the jumbled pile of specifications when deciding on our new phone.
The biggest offense was that it made my reporting look wrong and will require more misinformation correction in the future. While I seem like one of the few still thinking about it, complete unification could have been more helpful to everyday folks than most Android Police readers assume.
Why Qi2’s name shouldn’t have been sullied
In the interest of the entire industry
While clearing up the difference between Qi’s BPP, EPP, and MPP and addressing the initial logo confusion, I saw the cynical groans emerge on social media. “Here comes another certification with a bunch of qualifying sub-protocols to memorize,” users bemoaned.
Nothing indicates WPC’s intent to kick the can down the road, but that’s what it feels like. Instead of forcing manufacturers to comply with a new standard, Qi2 Ready waters down the branding. You and I know where to look, but many users don’t follow new features closely. A non-zero number of users will dismiss Qi2 as another thing you need a special accessory to use, and we tried mated add-ons with Moto Mods.
But won’t Qi2 phones need Qi2 cases, anyway?
Magnets aren’t only for one-tap smartphone stands. The charging side of Qi2 relies on them for the precise placement that enables the required reliable, high-frequency communication. The WPC needed to quickly clarify magnet placement before the industry could hope to see Qi3.
Integrated magnets typically can’t penetrate case materials, and you can add the physical connection with the right case or magnetic phone adapter. Accessories from quality brands like ESR come close to Qi2 functionally, even if they don’t meet all the specifications under the hood.
You might be surprised at how many people buy a flagship phone every other year and don’t read enthusiast-forward articles about it or put it in a fancy protective case. Many consumers don’t want to ruin their phone’s sleek design with plastic and rubber and don’t mind scuffs here and there.
Those everyday users act as silent drivers of smartphone innovation. If the industry trains them to expect little of a new standard, they may not clamor for the eventual high wattage rates that Qi2 will take years to implement. Then we will have to wait for new features.
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Samsung and OnePlus are two initial big names that decided against starting integrated magnets in 2025.
No one can blame the WPC — an industry working group — for taking influence from the North American Android industry leader. It makes sense the WPC wouldn’t want the branding to languish for another year without the aforementioned silent drivers of innovation hearing something about it.
The timing doesn’t sit right. Maybe Qi1.5 wouldn’t have been a better name. But Qi2 Ready means you can put a magnetic case on it to enable magnetic attachment, which the WPC’s tight-lipped Qi2 Ready announcement glossed over. For example, will the Qi2 Ready label eventually ensure attachments like magnetic phone mounts and wallets don’t interfere with camera arrays?
We don’t know yet, but expect updates to arrive via intermittent version updates that are more straightforward than the last. Because clarity is good for consumers, and what’s good for us is good for manufacturers.
