What is Qi2 wireless charging? How is it better than Qi?

Qi2 is a new wireless charging standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). The team introduced it in January 2023, replacing the current Qi wireless charging standard.

Qi charging is efficient, and while it's proven popular, it's not particularly fast, making it no substitute for wired charging. Qi2 aims to improve the technology by using magnets that align the phone and charger perfectly.

So how does Qi2 work and why is it so improved?

How does wireless charging work?

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To understand the goal of Qi2, it is necessary to understand how Qi wireless charging powers phones.

Wireless charging is based on the law of electromagnetic induction. All compatible phone and wireless chargers have copper coils. When an electric current is applied to a copper coil, this creates a magnetic field.

When two copper coils are placed close to each other, the current flowing through one coil will pass to the other coil. This allows the phone to be charged by placing it on the wireless charger.

What is the difference between Qi and Qi2?

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One problem with wireless charging is that the current transfer only works if the two copper wires are very close to each other. Transfer speeds are also greatly reduced if they are not properly aligned.

This means that Qi charging doesn't always work efficiently, and charging speeds may vary depending on where you place your phone on the charger.

Qi2 aims to overcome this problem by using magnets to hold the phone and charger in the optimal position. This will make charging more efficient and increase the potential speed at which the phone can charge.

Is Qi2 the same as MagSafe?

If you're an iPhone user, you've probably heard of MagSafe, Apple's wireless charging protocol. Like Qi2, it uses magnets to provide improved wireless charging.

The similarity between these two chargers is that Qi2 is built on MagSafe technology. Currently, they are almost identical. However, the difference is that Qi2 is still a new standard, capable of adding features and becoming a completely different product. The other notable difference is that Qi2 will be available on all phones, including Android.

What are the advantages of Qi2?

The introduction of Qi2 brought various benefits to smartphone users. This is why it is an improvement over Qi.

Improved charging speed

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The original Qi2 will launch with 15W of power - the same as the current Qi standard. However, Qi2 is a new standard. It is hoped that with the wires aligned, Qi2 can provide higher charging speeds. This is a necessary advantage as the lack of high-speed charging is arguably the biggest drawback of wireless charging.

Generates less heat

Some electromagnetic energy is lost when the copper coils are not properly aligned. This energy is then converted into heat, which is detrimental to the battery's health. But because Qi2 uses magnets to align the coils of the charging dock and phone, it can prevent this misalignment, resulting in less heat generated.

This ensures that the battery is less stressed, and potentially helps it last longer.

Promoting higher standards

If a manufacturer wants to make a product compatible with Qi2, the product must be certified by WPC. The group required the magnets to have enough force to align the two coils. Qi2 phones also require authentication, meaning they communicate with a power source wirelessly before charging. So unless it can be ensured that the wireless charger complies with the requirement, the phone will not charge.

While these developments will mean fewer cheap wireless chargers, they will also ensure that all Qi2 products live up to the level of quality we've come to expect. So, if you see any wireless charger with the Qi2 logo, you are guaranteed that it works as claimed.

Includes additional new accessories

You can use the magnets that Qi2 requires for purposes other than charging. Like the MagSafe, which comes with a variety of quick-mount accessories, such as tripods, wallets, and stands, you can expect Qi2-compatible smartphones to have the same accessory or more.

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Which phones support Qi2?

Despite the announcement in January 2023, no new phone models support Qi2 at the time of writing. So you can't get a Qi2 wireless charging phone yet. However, since most of the major smartphone brands are members of WPC, you can expect it to become the standard wireless charging mode in new smartphone models by 2024.

Furthermore, while the Qi2 standard is primarily designed for use with smartphones, many manufacturers will likely use it in other electronic devices as well, like earbuds and smartwatches.

Whether or not it's worth the wait to buy a Qi2 phone depends on what you want to gain from it. If you're looking for faster wireless charging speeds, it won't come out at launch. However, the most attractive feature of Qi2 is that it will bring the MagSafe experience to Android.

Will Qi2 replace wired charging?

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Wireless charging has been around for years, but most people still charge their phones with a cord. That's because while there are some reasons to use a wireless charger, it's undeniably slower than wired charging.

Qi2 has the ability to overcome this problem. If wireless charging offers identical speeds, it could quite possibly replace wired charging. The preference for wireless devices is clearly visible in the way most people use WiFi instead of Ethernet cables today.

However, you should note that Qi2 was only released as a faster product. And until the price of wireless charging is truly acceptable, wired charging is here to stay.

Marvin Fry

Update 24 July 2023