Seriously, how come we don't have more Android phones with Qi2 yet?

Since the Pixel 10 launched last year, the Qi2 magnets have been a love-hate relationship: I love using them, but I hate that somehow the Pixel 10 is the only Android phone that has them. It’s crazy to me that no other Android brand has taken this feature seriously and we still have no news of that changing.

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The Qi2 standard with magnets was announced in early 2023, more than three years ago, with the promise of bringing the idea behind Apple’s MagSafe to the entire industry.

Three years later, Android brands continue to ignore it.

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Google’s Pixel 10 series was the first true adoption of Qi2 since Android, and it’s been wonderful. Being able to use the Pixel 10 not only with Google’s “Pixelsnap” accessories, but also a host of other Qi2 and MagSafe accessories really creates an experience you don’t get anywhere else on Android. No matter how you use the device, no matter what case you use, everything works.

And then there are everyone else.

Most major Android brands haven’t even recognized Qi2, and for those that have, there hasn’t been true adoption. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series marks the second year in a row that the company has ignored this standard, this time in order to make devices thinner instead of last year’s lame excuse that “customers aren’t asking for it.” Samsung is ignoring the bigger picture, but we’ve talked about that before.

What kills me is that it’s not like the industry isn’t moving in that direction anyway, whether Android brands get on board or not.

The vast majority of new wireless chargers are adopting Qi2, and there are a host of new accessories, like battery banks and more, adopting this standard en masse. And meanwhile, there are literally four Android phones that support it natively: the fifth, HMD Skyline, ran out of software support late last year, and the Clicks Communicator won’t be released until the end of this year.

*One of them is objectively a better experience than the other.*

“But you can use a case.”

I know, we all know it. But the problem with Android phones not adopting Qi2 is not just the possibility of using it without a case. Phones that don’t upgrade to Qi2 at all (a notable number of phones still use Qi 1.3.3) miss out on the faster charging speeds we’ve been seeing and are reliant on the case manufacturer to get the alignment right. If nothing else, “Qi2 Ready” at least sets up case builders for success with proper alignment and Qi2 support.

It also indicates that brands are not taking this change in the industry seriously. Unfortunately, Samsung phones still can’t properly use more Qi2 accessories because Samsung refuses to change its design.

We’ve talked about this a lot over the past few years, but I’m reminded of this issue every time a new battery bank (stay tuned, there’s a good one coming this month) or Qi2 accessory crosses my desk for review and, frankly, I’m tired of it.

Qi2 magnets, regardless of whether you use wireless charging or not, are a real and practical upgrade for your smartphone in a world where Each new generation of smartphones involves a smaller update than ever. – It’s really crazy to me that such an obvious victory is continually ignored by practically everyone.

Apple already treats Android phones as if they were oldand this stubborn ignorance of Qi2 does not help.

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