It’s ironic, but we here at WIRED have long been wireless charging fans. Not having to fumble with cables is nice! Most wireless charging devices these days follow the Qi (pronounced chee) standard, which has taken its time reaching ubiquity. (The user experience has not always been great.) The Wireless Power Consortium, which manages the charging protocol, announced the next-generation version called Qi2 in early 2023. Qi2 wireless charging promises perfect alignment, with the potential for accessories to bridge the Android and iPhone divide.
Sadly, Qi2 has not rolled out as quickly or widely as we expected. While every iPhone (from the 12 series on) supports Qi2 now, there was only one Qi2-certified Android phone released in 2024, the HMD Skyline, and we were dismayed to find that it did not work with some older Qi chargers. Things haven't been great in 2025—at the start of the year, Samsung's Galaxy S25 series only launched as “Qi2 Ready." Now, we're seeing Qi2 25-watt accessories hitting the market, but there are still no Qi2 25W phones. So, what's going on with Qi2?
Updated July 2025: We added details on Qi2.2.1, branded Qi2 25W, and its first wave of certified chargers, plus a list of Qi2-certified and Qi2-Ready phones.
What Is Qi2?
Photograph: Simon Hill
Qi2 is an open wireless charging standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), and it brings important upgrades over the original Qi standard. (If you have ever used any kind of wireless charging with a device, it was likely powered by the Qi standard.)
The headline is the Magnetic Power Profile (MPP), which is based on Apple’s MagSafe technology. (Apple was involved in developing the Qi2 standard.) This allows Qi2-branded devices to add a ring of magnets to ensure perfect alignment with chargers and allow for faster charging speeds.
There is another standard: the nonmagnetic wireless charging Extended Power Profile (EPP). Per WPC's Paul Golden, EPP refers to a device that complies with the specification but is not officially Qi2, and thus cannot use the logo or be referred to as a Qi2 device. Golden told WIRED in an email that such devices “would carry the Qi logo, not Qi2, and packaging and/or marketing materials have a required statement that the device does not contain magnets. Any device labeled Qi2 is MPP and must include magnets.”
To muddy the waters further, we have the “Qi2-Ready” Samsung Galaxy S25 series. Out of the box, the Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra, and S25 Edge—not to mention the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7—support the Qi wireless charging standard, and they do not have magnets. You can add magnets by buying your own Qi2-Ready cases (available from Samsung and third parties). Combine a certified and tested Qi2-Ready case with a Qi2-Ready phone, and you effectively have a Qi2 phone (with the same enhanced charging speed and efficiency) that you can use with Qi2 power banks and chargers.