1 min readIf you’ve been waiting for a major Android smartphone manufacturer like Samsung to adopt Qi 2 and cement it as an alternative to Apple’s MagSafe system, I’ve got some bad news. The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra are not what you’ve been waiting for.
Samsung’s latest lot of premium smartphones have a lot of bells, whistles and premium perks. However, Qi2 support isn’t one of them. Instead, the new devices come with a new sub-standard called 'Qi2 Ready'.
What this means is that they technically offer the faster wireless speeds that Qi2 is capable of but they don’t feature the magnets that are used to make it easier to align the charging coils involved. Even it sounds like a small shortcut to a similar user experience, the devil is in the details here.More than just providing a satisfying snap as you chuck your device on charge, the consistency provided by these magnets is a critical ingredient when it comes to the faster 15W speeds that Qi2 offers.
Naturally, if you want to make up the difference and get the benefits of Qi2, you’ll have to pair the Galaxy S25 and its siblings with a 'Qi2 Ready' Case that adds those magnets to the equation. There are already a fair few available in Australia but by opting for Qi 2 Ready instead of Qi 2 outright, Samsung are more-or-less shifting part of the cost of faster wireless charging onto consumers in the same way it already does for faster wired charging.
That's not exactly a cardinal sin, but it doesn't square too neatly with the steep asking prices that Samsung's latest flagship devices command.
