Samsung’s new Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 look like impressive devices. They’re the South Korean giant’s most refined foldable phones to date. Yet despite the improvements (and $100 price increases over last year’s models), they’re still missing what I thought should have been a must-have feature for a $1,000+ phone in 2024: Qi2.
The next version of wireless charging, Qi2, was first publicly announced in early 2023. The new standard supports faster charging speeds and can use the “magnetic power profile.” Based in part on Apple’s MagSafe system, which has been used in iPhones since 2020’s iPhone 12, this profile takes advantage of magnets to help align wireless chargers for safer and more efficient charging.
Samsung phones have supported at least part of what’s now the standard with Qi2, the 15W wireless charging speed (which Samsung has dubbed “Fast Wireless Charging 2.0” on its devices) for years. But the biggest advantage of the new standard is the magnets.
Not only would using this profile potentially open Samsung devices to a world of new MagSafe-like accessories, but it could also allow its phones to charge much more efficiently.
“These Qi2-certified chargers deliver smoother, faster charging that is more energy efficient and offers broad interoperability,” Paul Struhsaker, executive director of industry group Wireless Power Consortium, said in a statement late last year. announcing that the first devices have completed certification testingQi2 accessories have been on the market since last year’s holiday season.
It’s not easy to convince Samsung that this year’s Galaxy S24 series isn’t ready for the QI2, but I can at least potentially hear one argument. It takes time to design, develop, and manufacture phones, and the lead time may have been too tight for Samsung to get it there in time for its early 2024 flagship devices.
This carries less weight for me for the new foldables, as their announcement came five months later, nearly 18 months after the WPC publicly revealed the Qi2. (Samsung, like Apple and Google, is a member of the WPC and has a seat on its board of directors their contribution to the standard therefore probably goes back much further).
CNET has reached out to Samsung for comment and will update if they respond.
Samsung, arguably the most important smartphone maker outside of Apple, hasn’t made Qi2 more than a year after the standard was announced, but the company isn’t alone. Motorola’s new Razr also appears to miss out on Qi2’s benefits, as do OnePlus’ recent devices. So far, the most notable device that’s fully Qi2-compatible (with support for magnetic charging) is probably HMD’s new $500 Skyline.
Yes, there are third party cases from various manufacturers like Pitaka, Brand D and others that let you add magnets to access MagSafe-like accessories for a host of Android phones. But all of this should be built into the expensive device you’re buying, not something that requires another purchase.
Some Galaxy S24 Ultra owners have even reported issues where third-party cases would interfere with the S Pen’s ability to communicate with the device. Samsung’s integration of a proper Qi2 mount could help avoid such issues.
It’s a shame that Android manufacturers have been slow to adopt something that seems like a win for consumers. Hopefully, Google will surprise us by including this feature in its upcoming Pixel series in August and finally bring it to the Android mainstream.