MagSafe versus Qi 2: What’s the difference?

Alex Kidman
Jul 23, 2024
Icon Time To Read5 min read
// Magnets, how do they work?

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The latest wireless charging standards offer faster and more efficient power delivery – but they’re not quite the same as each other.

Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s MagSafe and the wider Qi2 standard.

What to consider when buying a wireless charger

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Safety

When it comes to accessories that deal directly in the transmission of power, like wireless chargers, it can pay to go with a more expensive and well-known brand since it means you'll get the peace of mind that comes with knowing that they probably aren't cutting corners on safety.

Heads Up

Speed

The number of ports on a wireless charger isn't as important, but the speed at which it operates remains critical. Higher is better, since it means you'll be able to get your phone fully charger sooner rather than later.

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MagSafe

If you're looking to pair your new wireless charger up with an iPhone, you'll want to make sure it's MagSafe-graded in order to ensure the best speeds and fit.

Price Tag

Price

If all you're after is a basic wireless charging experience, the cost should be too dear. However, those looking for a wireless charger capable of handling multiple devices should or expect to pay a premium for that privilege.

MagSafe explained

Pros, cons and how it works
MagSage Wireless Charger

MagSafe is Apple’s name for magnetic charging connections, although over the years it’s used the term for both wireless phone charging technology – the primary focus of this article – as well as magnetically attaching laptop chargers for Apple MacBooks. Buy a MacBook Pro and you’ll get a MagSafe charger with it, but that charger won’t attach to your iPhone in any way at all, which can be slightly confusing.

At the time Apple introduced MagSafe for iPhone with the introduction of the iPhone 12, it was comparing its approach to the existing Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi (pronounced “Chi”, after the Chinese term for “energy” or “life force”) standard. Apple is part of the Wireless Power Consortium, and its MagSafe technology builds on Qi with the use of precisely placed magnets in both the iPhone and charger body.

The advantage here is twofold; magnetic alignment means that the charger snaps into place on the iPhone, so you don’t need to fuss around with precise placement as you do with standard Qi chargers where there’s nothing to stop a phone slipping away from the induction coils that allow the power to flow. Because the magnets precisely align, it’s also more efficient – any form of inductive power is necessarily inefficient – and can handle a higher power throughput. For MagSafe, that’s at a maximum of 15W as long as the Magsafe connector is plugged into a source capable of at least 20W, according to Apple’s specifications. You can technically plug a USB-C ended Magsafe charger through, say a MacBook’s USB-C ports, but you won’t get the faster charging speeds of MagSafe that way.

MagSafe is also a branding that Apple uses for other iPhone magnetically attaching accessories, so you can get MagSafe charging stands, MagSafe compatible iPhone cases – even MagSafe compatible wallets if that’s your desire. The one factor to be aware of here is that just because it says “MagSafe” doesn’t mean it’s automatically a charger. The $99 Apple MagSafe Wallet is… well, it’s just a magnetically attaching small credit card wallet. Bear in mind as well that some MagSafe accessories may limit charging speeds (or outright stop them) as they introduce more of a gap between the inductive charging plate and the iPhone itself.

MagSafe is much more established than Qi2, which also means that while there are actually licensed MagSafe products in the market from makers such as Belkin, there’s also a host of devices that sell themselves as “MagSafe compatible”, or in similar terminology. They’re not outright lying – they’ll typically work with MagSafe iPhones – but it’s worth checking the fine print because some of them are simply magnetically attaching devices without the underlying smarts to actually enable faster charging than you will get with a proper MagSafe device.

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The short version?
  • MagSafe can be found in the iPhone 12 onwards
  • It allows for faster charging speeds of up to 15W
  • MagSafe chargers are usually a little bit more expensive
  • Made for MagSafe and MagSafe Compatible are not the same thing.

Made for MagSafe vs MagSafe Compatible


If you're in the market for a MagSafe charger, you might see the two terms above used fairly interchangeably. However, that similarity in language hides some significant technical differences.

If a given accessory is Made For MagSafe, it means it has been developed according to Apple's own Made For iPhone (MFI) guidelines. It's also a guarantee that the peripheral in question will play nice with the MagSafe-enabled iPhones.

In contrast, a MagSafe-compatible accessory is just a wireless charger (or phone case) with a set of magnets in it. Since it hasn't been designed to make use of MagSafe, you won't get any of the other advantages like faster charging speeds.

Qi 2 wireless charging explained

Pros, cons and how it works
Belkin Qi2 Stand header

The simplest way to describe Qi2 is that it’s essentially existing Qi with the magnetic bits of MagSafe bolted onto it, using magnetic coils to more precisely align a Qi2 compatible phone for faster charging speeds than classic Qi chargers could do. Typically that was around 5W claimed, while Qi2 should manage 15W charging across all Qi2 compatible devices. The point here is that it’s a broad standard that can be applied to a range of devices to meet a specified power throughput goal.

Now, it’s true that some brands do and did offer Qi devices that promised speeds in excess of 15W – Oppo’s AirVOOC chargers can (as per its claims) deliver up to 50W… to compatible AirVOOC devices. 

That’s a within-ecosystem play, essentially speaking, and fine if you’re happy with only Oppo devices, though you’ll typically find that those chargers will ramp the speeds way down for other phones, if they work at all. The point with Qi2 is that it’s a Wireless Power Consortium approved standard that can deliver faster charging to all Qi2 compatible phones.

The big catch at the time of writing is that if you’re after an Android Qi2 phone… there simply aren’t any. The only devices that are compatible with Qi2 at the moment are in fact iPhones – any model of the iPhone 12 or newer, though the smaller iPhone Mini models will top out at a maximum of 7.5W on a Qi2 charger. That is expected to change as newer Android flagships come to market, though so far with Samsung’s Galaxy S24 and Galaxy Z Fold6/Flip6 all opting for simpler Qi charging, the primary hopes for a Qi2 Android handset rest with Google’s Pixel 9 lineup.

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The short version?
  • Qi 2 incorporates the same magnetic alignment tech found in MagSafe
  • Qi 2 offers faster charging speeds of up to 15W.
  • There are currently no Android devices that support Qi 2
  • Qi 2 chargers promise to be more case-friendly

Who makes Qi 2 chargers?

The short answer here is  that many of the same brands who produced Qi wireless chargers are already embracing its replacement. The list here includes Belkin, Anker, Mophie, Nomad and more.

Can I use MagSafe on Qi/Qi2 devices, or vice versa?


Because both MagSafe and Qi/Qi2 are all ultimately built on the same standards, they are interoperable, with a few caveats in play.

Power can flow from a MagSafe charger to a Qi or Qi2 device. However Apple’s specific implementation of MagSafe looks for connectivity specifically to iPhones to enable 15W charging, so you’ll drop to a maximum of 7.5W or less if you connect a Qi device to a MagSafe charger.  The other catch there for standard Qi devices is that because they’re lacking in magnetic coils at all on the device, you still have to precisely place the phone to get power flowing, which rules out any MagSafe charger on a angle unless you can somehow prop it up from below.

The reverse scenario is a little better; if you’ve got an iPhone 12 or better you can freely use Qi and Qi2 chargers. Qi chargers of course won’t magnetically snap into place, but Qi2 ones most certainly will, enabling features like StandBy if you want to use your iPhone overnight as bedside clock as it charges.

Alex Kidman
Written by
Alex Kidman is some kind of word-generating AI from the future that somehow worked out how to sneak back in time to 1998 to start its journalism career. Across that time, including editorial stints at ZDNet, CNET, Gizmodo, PC Mag and Finder, as well as contributions to every major tech masthead, nobody has quite managed to figure out this deeply held secret. Let’s keep it between us, OK?

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