The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra address many of the compromises that have long held book-style foldables back.
The regular Z Fold 8 introduces a new compact form factor, while the Z Fold 8 Ultra lives up to its name by packing a bigger battery inside an even slimmer design.
Given that they are among the most expensive phones in Samsung’s lineup, you’d expect the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra to pack the best hardware available.
Yet, these two foldables miss out on a feature that can drastically improve everyday usability: built-in Qi2 magnets.
Qi2 and Qi2 Ready are not the same
The magnets make all the difference
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra support wireless charging at up to 20W. That’s 5W faster than Samsung’s previous foldable phones. But neither offers native Qi2 functionality, which is the bigger deal.
Instead, both phones are Qi2 Ready, and there’s a big difference between a phone supporting Qi2 and being Qi2 Ready.
A Qi2 phone features a ring of magnets around its wireless charging coil.
These magnets help align the phone with compatible chargers, cases, or other accessories. They also help create a more reliable connection and avoid issues like poor alignment, a longstanding wireless charging problem.
A Qi2 Ready phone does not have these magnets. Instead, you must use a case with its own magnetic ring to gain the same functionality. This limits your case options and can make magnetic cases more expensive.
Another year, the same story
At $2,000, ‘Ready’ is no longer good enough
Samsung started this half-baked approach with the Galaxy S25 series in 2025. It marketed the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra as Qi2 Ready, leading to a lot of confusion.
At the time, it seemed like a necessary compromise as the company worked toward native Qi2 adoption.
Eighteen months later, Samsung is still following the same playbook. Neither the Galaxy Z Fold 8 nor the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra features built-in magnets.
Both launched nearly three years after the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) finalized the Qi2 standard.
In between all this, Samsung boosted the battery capacity on its foldables by adopting silicon-carbon cells, improved charging speeds, and even redesigned the internal hardware to make the devices among the thinnest foldables on the market.
Yet, it could not find room for a magnetic ring.
It now appears that Samsung is not using Qi2 Ready as a stepping stone toward proper Qi2 support. Instead, it feels like Samsung has accepted the magnetic case as a permanent workaround.
Putting a case on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra goes against the very hardware improvements Samsung has made.
It spent years making its foldables thinner and lighter. And now, it wants users to add some of that bulk back if they want magnetic charging.
A case is not a proper solution
Samsung wants buyers to finish the job
Using a case is particularly frustrating with a foldable because cases must cover two separate halves and accommodate the hinge.
Built-in magnets make more sense on a foldable than on most conventional phones.
You could attach the phone to a stand while watching videos on the inner display, secure it to a car mount for navigation, or connect a magnetic power bank without leaving a cable dangling from it.
The Fold 8 series has the screen and form factor to make these accessories genuinely useful. It simply lacks the hardware needed to use them without a case.
Some users may argue that using a case with a foldable phone is a must anyway, due to their fragility. So, if that case contains magnets, the experience should be similar to using a phone with native Qi2 support. But that misses the point.
A case should protect a phone, not complete hardware that Samsung chose to leave out.
Requiring a magnetic case also limits your options. You cannot pick a case based on its design, protection, or price.
You must buy a case with built-in magnets, which are typically more expensive than a standard case. Plus, if you prefer skins, as I do, you must add a separate magnetic ring or give up the Qi2 experience.
Samsung can’t stay Qi2 Ready forever
Most people buying the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra will not base their $2,000 decision on magnetic charging alone. But that does not excuse the omission.
At this price, a buyer expects Samsung to include every reasonable everyday convenience possible, especially ones that perfectly complement the foldable form factor.
Qi2 Ready was an understandable compromise when Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 7 last year. A year later, it’s a compromise that the company wants its customers to live with.
Samsung has already shown that it can redesign hinges, adopt new battery technology, squeeze more hardware into slimmer bodies, and come up with innovative new display technologies.
But by omitting native Qi2 support, it’s failing to adopt that one hardware improvement that would make a major usability difference in everyday life.
