This is important because while we MagSafe lovers have settled for MagSafe cases for Android phones in recent years, there has always been a warning that these cases may not work with all MagSafe products. With Qi2 Ready cases, you can rest easy knowing they will work with Qi2 chargers.
It’s worth noting that OnePlus’ latest flagship phone, the OnePlus 13, is No a Qi2 Ready phone, however, OnePlus sells a magnetic case to enable Qi2 type charging. This is the old approach of adding magnetic charging to phones with basic Qi support, and willpower Do not turn your phone into a Qi2 device. While it may look similar, you may not enjoy faster charging speeds, it won’t be as energy efficient, and it’s not guaranteed to work with all Qi2 accessories. Golden says Qi2 Ready phones have “special features built in” to enable proper Qi2 functionality when paired with a Qi2 Ready case.
Unfortunately, as soon as you remove these Qi2 Ready cases from the phone, the magnetic functionality disappears. This may not be a problem for most people. Recent statistics are hard to find, but a 2023 YouGov survey found that approximately 68 percent of Americans use a phone case.and a 2017 study put that number at 79 percent. But it sucks for those of us who don’t like using a case. One works for demons without a case.
I can remember dozens of times where I had to take off my iPhone case to plug a wireless microphone into the USB-C port or attach the phone to a gimbal. Removing the case didn’t change anything because iPhones have built-in magnets, but this is something that willpower It affects Qi2 Ready phones, and is a frustrating limitation.
I think Qi2 Ready phones are an acceptable compromise. Considering it’s cheaper than inserting magnets into a phone, I hope it means more budget and mid-range smartphones can enjoy Qi2 capabilities.
Still, I worry that this makes things confusing for the average person. The new phones will support Qi but not Qi2, but will have Qi2-ready cases to enable Qi2; My brain hurts just writing that. If they only had native support for Qi2, magnetic charging would work all the time with any Qi2 accessory. Easy.
The good news is that Samsung and Google have committed to launching official Qi2 Android phones in 2025, so is on the way, although it seems strange that Samsung does not end up introducing it in its flagship series of smartphones.
I’ll settle for a magnetic case (again), but for the love of God, can someone give me my magnetic Android already?