Qi2 Wireless Charging: Everything You Need to Know (2024)

It's ironic, but we present astatine WIRED person agelong been fans of wireless charging. Not having to fumble with cables is nice! Most wireless charging devices these days travel the Qi (pronounced chee) standard, which has taken its clip reaching ubiquity. (The idiosyncratic acquisition has not ever been great.) The Wireless Power Consortium, which manages the charging protocol, announced the next-generation mentation called Qi2 successful aboriginal 2023, and we're yet starting to spot devices supporting it. It promises cleanable alignment, with the imaginable for accessories to span the Android and iPhone divide.

Sadly, Qi2 has not rolled retired arsenic rapidly oregon wide arsenic we expected this year. As of August 2024, determination is lone 1 Qi2-certified Android phone, the HMD Skyline (6/10, WIRED Review), and we were dismayed to find that it did not enactment with immoderate older Qi chargers. Is Qi2 coming unstuck?

Updated August 2024: We added details connected Qi2 adoption, clarification connected the antithetic certification options, and the unwelcome quality that immoderate Qi2 devices cannot complaint with Qi chargers.

What Is Qi2?

Qi2 is the caller unfastened wireless charging modular from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), and it brings important upgrades implicit the archetypal Qi standard. The header is the Magnetic Power Profile (MPP), which is based connected Apple’s MagSafe technology. (Apple was progressive successful processing the Qi2 standard.) This allows Qi2-branded devices to adhd a ringing of magnets to guarantee cleanable alignment with chargers and let for faster charging speeds.

There is different standard, the nonmagnetic wireless charging Extended Power Profile (EPP). This has led to some confusion. Per WPC's Paul Golden, EPP refers to a instrumentality that complies with the specification, but it is not officially Qi2 and frankincense cannot usage the logo oregon beryllium referred to arsenic a Qi2 device. Golden told WIRED successful an email that specified devices “would transportation the Qi logo, not Qi2, and packaging and/or selling materials person a required connection that the instrumentality does not incorporate magnets. Any instrumentality labeled Qi2 is MPP and indispensable see magnets.”

Qi2 is besides afloat backward compatible, truthful you tin complaint an older Qi Android telephone oregon MagSafe iPhone connected a Qi2 charger. We person tested several, and this seems to clasp true. We besides expected immoderate aged Qi chargers to complaint Qi2 devices, albeit astatine slower speeds, but it turns retired that is not true. The HMD Skyline, for example, did not enactment with respective aged Qi chargers we tested, and it seems this whitethorn beryllium par for the course. We volition person to hold for much Qi2 phones to find out, but with heavyweights similar Google and Samsung failing to follow Qi2 successful their latest flagships it mightiness beryllium awhile.

Benefits of Qi2

Wireless charging with Qi2 brings respective improvements implicit the archetypal Qi standard.