The Wireless Power Consortium presents the new wireless charging standard: Qi 2. It is neither more nor less than a standard based on Apple’s MagSafe open to Android smartphones.
Adopted for many years, the Qi standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) allows smartphones to charge wirelessly. The whole point of a standard is of course to be able to exchange chargers from one brand to another, from one smartphone to another.
At CES 2023, the WPC announces a new generation for its standard: Qi 2. Improved wireless charging, thanks to Apple.
Apple’s Magsafe has been there
The consortium explains it very clearly in its press release: Apple offered the basics of the Qi 2 standard by sharing its MagSafe technology. This is not the first time that the Cupertino company has done this kind of operation. The USB-C standard is partly based on the work done on the Lightning to create a reversible, tech-standard connector.
The Qi 2 standard therefore now offers a “Magnetic Power Profilewhich improves wireless charging if the smartphone and the charger use magnets to correctly align the charging coil. This should allow the creation of new accessories and an improvement in wireless charging speed, without affecting user safety.
This is all the more important since, like USB-C, Qi wireless charging could be imposed on everyone thanks to legislation, especially in India. We are thinking in particular of connected devices such as wireless headphones or watches which already often use induction charging.
Launch at the end of the year
The WPC announces that Qi 2 will arrive before the end of the year, to be at the heart of sales during the 2023 holidays. It takes the opportunity to remind that one billion Qi-compatible devices should be sold to consumers in 2023.
To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.