Although wireless charging typically isn’t the most exciting thing to talk about with a new Android phone, that’s due to change very soon. On Wednesday, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) announced its new Qi 2.2.1 specification, which will be better known going forward as “Qi2 25W.” As the name suggests, Qi2 25W boosts wireless charging speeds to an impressive 25W — a notable step up from the 15W limit that standard Qi2 is currently capped at.
The WPC says that “major Android smartphones” are set to get Qi2 25W. Combined with our previous reporting that Google is working on Qi 2.2 wireless accessories for the Pixel 10, it’s looking extremely likely that the Pixel 10 series will be among the first Android phones to support Qi2 25W.
At first glance, that’s great news. But there’s still a big uncertainty around how Google could implement Qi2 25W into the Pixel 10, and I’m nervous it’s something that Google may screw up.
Do you think Qi2 25W would be a big deal for the Pixel 10? 31 votes Absolutely! Give me those fast charge speeds. 39 % Yes, but only if the Pixel 10 has built-in magnets. 55 % No, 25W isn't fast enough. 6 % Other (let us know in the comments). 0 %
It’s all about the magnets
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Qi2 25W is an updated version of the initial Qi2 standard that launched in 2023. And when Qi2 was first announced, the big highlight for it was its utilization of magnets for simplified wireless charging, not unlike Apple MagSafe.
However, as we would later find out, a Qi2 phone doesn’t necessarily have to have magnets built into it to support the standard. We saw this firsthand with the Galaxy S25 series, which technically supports Qi2 charging technology but doesn’t have magnets built into the phones themselves. All Galaxy S25 handsets are capable of Qi2’s 15W charge speeds, but to use the phones with a magnetic charger, you need a magnetic case.
Samsung had its reasons for not building magnets into the S25, but if you ask me, it defeats the main reason to get excited about Qi2 in the first place. And it’s this path that I’m worried Google might follow.
Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
We know that Google is working on magnetic “Pixelsnap” accessories, including a magnetic charger and a magnetic charging stand. Combined with the phones likely supporting the newer Qi2 25W standard, it’s easy to assume that the Pixel 10 lineup will have magnets integrated into their designs, allowing them to work with these accessories right out of the box.
But there’s another scenario where Google goes the Galaxy S25 route and doesn’t build magnets into the Pixel 10 series — thus forcing you to buy a magnetic case if you want to use the phones with any magnetic Qi2 accessories. It may seem silly, but Samsung did precisely this with the Galaxy S25, and so did OnePlus with the OnePlus 13 and its AIRVOOC 50W Magnetic Charger.
Google supposedly investing so much in its Pixelsnap accessories makes it more likely that the Pixel 10 will have honest to god magnets built in, but I can’t shake this apprehension that Google will follow in Samsung and OnePlus’s footsteps. When two other major Android brands have done this, what’s stopping Google from doing the same?
I hope Google gets this right
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Maybe my worry isn’t justified. Maybe the Pixel 10 series will be announced on August 20 with Android’s first proper alternative to MagSafe. I certainly hope so.
The alternative outcome of 25W wireless charging without integrated magnets wouldn’t be the end of the world. However, if Google is going to be in a position to be one of the first brands with Qi2 25W — and have its own suite of magnetic accessories to boot — restricting that magnetic convenience to a required case would be a real shame.
Google has an opportunity to significantly advance wireless charging on Android, and I hope the company does it right. Give me my magnets, Google.