Future Android phones will feature MagSafe-like wireless fast charging

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has unveiled Qi2, the wireless charging successor to Qi that borrows some tricks from Apple’s MagSafe charging. The idea is to create a unified system that (should) work with both Android and Apple devices, the WPC wrote in a press release

Qi2 will replace the current Qi standard that has been around for over 13 years. It’ll be built off of Apple’s MagSafe technology that came along with the iPhone 12, using a similar system of magnets and a wireless charging coil. However, it will introduce something called the Magnetic Power Profile that ensures phones and other devices are perfectly aligned to maximum charging speed and efficiency. It also assures compatibility among brands. 

“Qi2’s perfect alignment improves energy efficiency by reducing the energy loss that can happen when the phone or the charger is not aligned,” said WPC’s executive director Paul Struhsaker in a statement. “Just as important, Qi2 will greatly reduce the landfill waste associated with wired charger replacement due to plugs breaking and the stress placed on cords from daily connecting and disconnecting.”

The first Qi2.0 version will launch this year, with support for 15 watt charging, foreign object detection and more. It’ll …read more