MagSafe is headed for non-Apple handsets. The Wireless Power Consortium is making Apple’s innovative wireless charging system for iPhone into an industry standard dubbed “Qi2.”
The first Qi2 devices are expected to hit the market by the end of 2023.
Any handset gets the benefits of MagSafe with Qi2
Wireless phone charging has been around since at least 2012. Apple built the Qi standard into the iPhone 8, but significantly improved it with MagSafe starting with the iPhone 12. The alternative version puts magnets around the wireless charging coil to automatically align the iPhone to compatible accessories.
The Wireless Power Consortium likes the idea so much it’s making it the heart of its next wireless power standard, Qi2 (pronounced “chee two”). But this isn’t the WPC ripping off Apple’s idea: The iPhone-maker helped develop the new standard.
“Energy efficiency and sustainability are on everyone’s minds these days,” says Paul Struhsaker, executive director of the WPC. “Qi2’s perfect alignment improves energy efficiency by reducing the energy loss that can happen when the phone or the charger is not aligned.”
The consortium didn’t name any specific companies intending to adopt the new wireless standard. But Struhsaker did say, “Qi2 will be the global standard for wireless charging.” The WPC developed the original version of the standard, which is used nearly universally, so it’s in a position to know.
As noted, the WPC expects Qi2-certified phones and chargers to be available for the 2023 holiday shopping season. For iPhone users, the new standard means MagSafe-equivalent accessories will be more widely available and cheaper.
Source: Wireless Power Consortium
