If there is something that Android mobile owners tend to envy about Apple smartphones, in addition to the low depreciation of these devices, it is MagSafe charging technology. Although this is slower than what we can find on Android, it is much more comfortable.
Well, everything points to the fact that this year, if not the same technology, one that is more than similar, it could hit the market to make it possible for all smartphones in the industry to be charged using a similar system.
This is the Qi2 standard
The Wireless Power Consortium, responsible for the Qi wireless charging standard, has announced a new Qi2 standard that will offer a new magnetic power profile based on Apple’s MagSafe technology that current iPhones enjoy. This will enable faster and more efficient wireless charging , as well as the ability to charge new form factors, and possibly change the way we use our Android phones.
The announcement, which coincides with CES 2023 in Las Vegas, speeds up the replacement of the original Qi standard , but we don’t really have much more detail about it. Qi2-compatible products aren’t expected to go on sale until later this year, and that’s when we’ll be able to buy whether, as people think, the system would be a ‘clone’ of what Apple offers in its latest phones.
On paper, it seems that this Qi2 technology would improve Apple’s MagSafe in everything. In fact, the current Qi standard supports charging speeds of up to 15W, while Cupertino’s option limits wireless charging to 7.5W unless you use an official MagSafe product. This would mean that Qi2 charging technology could reach higher speeds and hopefully be usable on both iOS and Android.
With this overwhelming lack of data, all we know is that there is potential to open up MagSafe technology to other manufacturers, including Android device manufacturers , but it’s unclear what advantages Qi2 will offer over Qi and MagSafe . The blueprints shown are all that show stronger magnets, as many MagSafe accessories don’t stick firmly to the back of the iPhone, along with faster charging speeds, but not the faster.
Standardizing mobile charges
While the Qi wireless charging standard has been around for more than a decade, the WPC found that consumers and retailers found it confusing, particularly regarding the differences between Qi-certified and non-certified devices. For this reason, the consortium affirms that ‘Qi2 will be the global standard for wireless charging and will provide consumers and retailers with that guarantee that they have not found until now’.
Be that as it may, it will surely be at the beginning of next year when we can see the first smartphones equipped with this technology and be able to know how it works 100%, confirming whether or not it is so similar to the current Apple MagSafe .