Announced in early 2023, the new Qi2 standard makes Apple’s MagSafe the new industry standard. Qi2 compatible terminals will be able to charge magnetically at a speed of 15 W, with reduced energy losses.
Apple won. After adopting Qi wireless charging in 2017, by joining the Wireless Power Consortium (which deals with charging standards), the Californian brand decided in 2020 to go its own way. The iPhone 12 introduced a new type of wireless charging called MagSafe, based on the Qi standard, but equipped with a magnetic connector, to stabilize charging and make the iPhone levitate.
No one could have imagined such a scenario, but the Wireless Power Consortium decided to side with Apple. At CES 2023, he announced the creation of Qi2, an evolution of the standard launched in 2008 based on the work of Apple. While waiting for the first compatible Android terminals, Belkin has just unveiled its first two Qi2 chargers, which use magnets to hold the device they are charging. iPhones are backward compatible.
The MagSafe has become the standard
It was in Berlin, at the IFA show, that Belkin presented its first two Qi2 chargers. They look like MagSafe chargers, but can technically work with non-Apple devices, as long as their manufacturers equip them with magnets to make them compatible with the new wireless charging.
Belkin’s two ideas are:
- There 3-in-1 wireless charging station, which offers magnetic Qi2 support (15W), classic Qi support (5W) and a USB-C port, to charge a wired device or an Apple Watch using an adapter. Note that the Qi2 can technically charge a device in normal Qi, without the magnet that holds it.
- There convertible wireless charging station, which can be transformed into a standing base (to float a smartphone) or a charging mat (to put a phone on). This is a single Qi2 carrier.
The Qi2 is expected to debut in early 2024
We do not yet know the prices of these two products, but Belkin indicates in any case that they will not be launched before the end of the year 2023 (for the 3-in-1) and the beginning of 2024 (for the convertible base ). It’s not really a surprise, since Apple is the only compatible manufacturer for now. We will probably have to wait for the new high-end terminals from Samsung, Google or Xiaomi to see the Qi2 become the standard in the Android universe. In any case, this is a significant change, since wireless charging has changed very little in 15 years. Only a few brands, like Oppo or Xiaomi, have tried to speed it up with proprietary technologies.
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