Key Takeaways

  • Qi2 is a new standard in wireless charging that offers a more reliable connection through the use of magnets.
  • The Qi2 system was developed with input from Apple and is similar to its MagSafe system.
  • While Qi2 has already been announced and manufacturers are working on compatible devices, it may take some time before it becomes widely available and supported by phones.

If you're not using wireless charging for your phone we'd suggest you change that immediately - if your smartphone supports it, this can be a huge quality-of-life upgrade that will end your time fiddling for cables last thing at night.

Wireless charging isn't all the same, though, and for years now the Qi certification has been a good way of knowing that a charger is reliable and will work with a bunch of different devices. Now, Qi2 has been unveiled, and we've got all the key details about what it actually means.

What is Qi2?

Qi2 wireless charging is effectively a new standard in wireless charging, one that all sorts of manufacturers and companies will be able to match with their chargers.

As the name suggests, it's the follow-up to Qi charging, which has been around for ages but was a pretty big step forward for knowing how wireless charging worked and getting reliable quality from it.

What's new about Qi charging?

The big change compared to the first generation of Qi chargers is magnets, to clamp the charger onto your device for a more reliable connection. If you're thinking that sounds like Apple's MagSafe system, you'd be dead right.

In fact, Apple has worked hand in hand with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) that created Qi2 to make sure it takes advantage of its design work.

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The WPC says that the new system will allow for increases in wireless charging speeds down the line - something that Apple hasn't really gone after with its own MagSafe, but which is far more of a dream for Android phone owners.

So, Qi2 is basically magnetised wireless charging, making things easier to rely on.

When does Qi2 arrive?

Because this is a new standard, technically it's already here - the WPC has announced it and detailed it, and manufacturers will have it as a guideline now.

The latest news when it comes to an actual release date for hardware featuring Qi2 certification came in November 2023, when the WPC confirmed that the first devices should be hitting store shelves soon.

This started with the iPhone 15 but, in reality, we're more interested in when the chargers themselves will come out, with the likes of Belkin, Anker and more all confirming that they're making new chargers for Qi2.

That said, the press release from the WPC isn't exactly long in detail and sounds a bit more like it's trying to reassure people that the hardware is still on the way, so we're not any closer to knowing exactly when Qi2 will start being more widely available.

What phones support Qi2?

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For now, Qi2 has very thin support in terms of actual phones that you can buy, which is no surprise since it's only been around for a relatively short while.

However, we'd assume that we'll get a wave of phones that support it, along with chargers and cases to complete the circle, in 2024 (unless the standard doesn't get picked up as widely as we're expecting).

Of course, on the iPhone side of things, Apple's pre-existing support for MagSafe means that its phones already have supported something very close to Qi2 since the iPhone 12, so if you're thinking of picking up an iPhone 15 you're in luck, as every version of the phone supports with Qi2.

Do I need Qi2?

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Look, we're the biggest fans out there of new tech, and as wireless charging gets better we're always keen to be on the bleeding edge and using the fastest speeds.

That said, though, the reality is that if you've never noticed any issue with your current Qi charger, you probably won't find the arrival of Qi2 an incredibly meaningful change.

While it is more convenient and faster, it's not necessarily the sort of thing you need to rush to the store to replace your phone for - we'd advocate for being patient and waiting for a phone that you really want to have Qi2 compatibility (which will become more and more common as time goes on).