Forthcoming Android phones will pack their own take on Apple’s MagSafe charging technology, it’s been confirmed.
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has announced the new Qi2 (pronounced ‘chee two’) standard as a follow-up to Qi, which has become the single unified wireless charging standard.
In an announcement on the new Qi2 standard, the WPC openly reveals that “WPC member, Apple, provided the basis for the new Qi2 standard building on its MagSafe technology”, which will directly benefit the Android ecosystem.
To that end, Qi2 will feature a new Magnetic Power Profile that aligns the charger with the device, bolstering energy efficiency and enabling manufacturers to safely crank up charging speeds. Initially, its appears that there will be a 15 watt limit for supporting Android devices, just like MagSafe. However, there’s clearly going to be the potential to go much faster.
“Energy efficiency and sustainability are on everyone’s minds these days,” says WPC executive director Paul Struhsaker. “Qi2’s perfect alignment improves energy efficiency by reducing the energy loss that can happen when the phone or the charger is not aligned. Just as important, Qi2 will greatly reduce the landfill waste associated with wired charger replacement due to plugs breaking and the stress placed on cords from daily connecting and disconnecting.”
The announcement also points out that this magnetised system will open out wireless charging to devices that wouldn’t naturally take to Qi’s unfixed set-up. Think smartwatches and the like.
The WPC expects to see the first devices packing Qi2 wireless charging support some time around “the 2023 holiday season”. In other words, you might be able to ask for a magnetically charging Android phone for Christmas.
Who knows, you might even be able to use a future iPhone MagSafe charger on future Android devices. Wouldn’t that be nice?
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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