Faster Qi2 charging is coming to iPhones and ‘major’ Android phones
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Faster Qi2 charging is coming to iPhones and ‘major’ Android phones
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has announced the official launch of faster Qi2 25W wireless charging, with the first devices already certified and “several hundred” yet to come. Most excitingly, it promises that alongside iPhone support, several “major Android smartphones” will finally be adopting the standard. To date only a single Android phone has fully supported Qi2, the HMD Skyline, and a handful of Samsung flagships are certified “Qi2 Ready”
We’ve known that faster Qi2 charging was coming, up from the prior 15W limit, with accessory brands including Anker, Ugreen, and Baseus securing early certification, and some even announcing power banks and chargers. Until now we’d only known the tech by its version number, Qi2.2, but the WPC has confirmed it will be known at Qi2 25W instead.
The WPC has confirmed that iPhones will support Qi2 25W, though not which models. The iPhone 16 series currently offers 15W Qi2 charging speeds but 25W over MagSafe. Since the magnetic Qi2 standard is based in part on Apple’s MagSafe designs, it stands to reason that the 16 series might receive an update to the new standard, and presumably the upcoming iPhone 17 models will offer support too.
The group also says that “major Android smartphones will join the Qi2 ecosystem for the first time with this launch,” though again offers no specifics. To date only a single Android phone has fully supported Qi2, the HMD Skyline. A handful of Samsung’s flagships, including the recent Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, are certified “Qi2 Ready,” which means they support 15W Qi2 charging but don’t themselves include the magnetic ring needed for the full speeds, requiring owners to buy a magnetic Qi2 case for full functionality. We’ve asked the WPC for comment on whether the upcoming Android support will be full Qi2, or only Qi2 Ready.
“The momentum building behind the next stage in the evolution of the Qi standard is incredible,” said Fady Mishriki, chair of the WPC’s board of directors. “Consumers will be delighted when they experience Qi2 25W as it delivers nearly 70% more power than the original Qi2. The number of devices in the Qi2 25W certification queue for launch is unprecedented, as is the quality and breadth of our members’ product designs.”
Qi2 25W Rolls Out, Will Arrive for “Major Android Smartphones”
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has announced a new wireless charging standard. The new standard is called Qi2 25W and is based on Qi v2.2.1. WPC adds that major Android smartphones will join the Qi2 ecosystem for the first time.
READ: Google’s Pixel Wireless Charger could be its first true Qi2 accessory
Alongside the new announcement, the WPC adds that major Android smartphones will join the Qi2 ecosystem. Part of its official press release reads:
In addition to Apple iPhone, major Android smartphones will join the Qi2 ecosystem for the first time with this launch. Fourteen devices, receivers and transmitters, completed Qi2 25W certification testing in a limited launch last week. Full-scale certification testing is now open to several hundred devices waiting in the queue to be tested.
As you can probably tell from the name, Qi2 25W will support faster charging speeds, compared to the slower 15W that the older Qi2 technology uses.
While many Android smartphones support wireless charging capabilities, they tend to lack built-in magnetic hardware such as the ones found in Apple’s MagSafe-equipped iPhones. A lot of manufacturers get around this by working with accessory manufacturers to include magnetic cases to enable physically-secure wireless charging.
New Qi2 25W Wireless Charging Coming to “Major” Android Smartphones
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has released a new version of its Qi wireless charging standard. The new version is called Qi v2.2.1 and was in testing in a limited launch for “fourteen devices, receivers, and transmitters” Full-scale certification testing is now open to those not a part of that limited launch. They promise that “major Android smartphones” will have Qi2 25W, along with Apple’s next iPhones.
Android phones with Qi2 25W: Today, the WPC is back to introduce the next version of Qi2 called “Qi2 25W.” They promise that “major Android smartphones” will have Qi2 25W, along with Apple’s next iPhones. Do we believe that? Heh, sure.
The new Qi2 25W is also called Qi v2.2.1 and was in testing in a limited launch for “fourteen devices, receivers, and transmitters” prior to this announcement. Full-scale certification testing is now open to those not a part of that limited launch.
The big story here, outside of a possible Android connection, is that Qi2 25W brings 25W wireless charging speeds as a standard. The previous 15W wireless charging in Qi2 was apparently not fast enough. The WPC saw too many manufacturers creating their own faster wireless charging protocols and wanted to stop that in order to create better interoperability.
Which Android phones will have Qi2 25W? The WPC didn’t say. There is always a chance that Google’s Pixel 10 line has it, but that also seems so soon. Maybe Samsung’s Galaxy S26 line will? Or maybe OnePlus and the OnePlus 14 will jump on it first? We hope all of them do.
// Wireless Power Consortium (pdf)
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/712415/qi2-25w-wireless-charging-major-android-smartphones-wpc