Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs We have been waiting and waiting for more Android phones to support the full Qi2 wireless charging standard, including phones with built-in magnets. And with the Galaxy S25 phone line, Samsung is making a small step towards this by offering official cases that include magnets, but not including magnets within the phone itself.On one hand, this could still be a big boom for the Qi2 accessory market, now that one of the biggest Android phone manufacturers in the world is offering official support for many of the magnetic chargers, wallets and camera mounts that are already sold for MagSafe-compatible iPhones. But on the other hand, Samsung isn’t really offering anything “new” because third-party accessory makers have been making Galaxy phone cases with built-in magnets for years, offering unofficial compatibility with those same accessories.
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Even older Samsung phones have supported the 15W wireless charging speed that Qi2 promises (what Samsung has long called “Fast Wireless Charging 2.0”).This reveal of support via a phone case comes two weeks after CES 2025, where Samsung and Google both committed to growing Qi2 with their devices this year in joint statements with the Wireless Power Consortium. So even though phone cases are being used to add the magnets, Samsung and Google might eventually include the support inside the hardware of other devices set for release this year or — at a minimum — continue this phone case strategy.OnePlus has deployed a similar approach with its latest OnePlus 13 phone. The device itself supports wireless charging but lacks the magnets, though the company sells cases with a magnet ring built-in to utilize Qi2 and other similar accessories. That said, I’m bummed that two years after Qi2’s initial reveal in January 2023, we only have the HMD Skyline as the sole Android phone thus far to include internal magnets in a similar fashion as Apple’s included since 2020’s iPhone 12. It limits the growth of useful add-ons like wallets, chargers and even tripod holders since you can’t use them from the moment you buy a new phone without also buying a magnetic case. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in a magnetic charging stand with a Galaxy Watch Ultra. Celso Bulgatti/CNETBut it’s not all bad news. Even if someone wants to use magnetic accessories with their Android phone and has to buy a special case, there’s now a wealth of Qi2 magnetic accessories on the market that are now getting cheaper as the standard has opened up. Whereas a MagSafe certified 2-in-1 wireless charger from Belkin that’s sold by Apple can still cost as much as $100, there are now so many Qi2 accessories that do the same thing. Sticking within Belkin, a similar 2-in-1 charger that supports Qi2 for 15W wireless charging and magnets is available for a much more affordable $70. You can also find even cheaper Qi2 accessories from many other brands with a simple search.So the Qi2 accessories — that will work equally well across Android and iOS — are certainly available. Now it’s just a continued wait to see if first-party support will stick to needing a special phone case, or if Samsung or Google will eventually put out a phone that includes those magnets from day one.
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