Wireless charging has been around for years now, and it only keeps getting better. While early days were plagued by slow charging speeds and poor charger alignment, things have come a long way since then, and modern standards like Qi2 are robust enough to compete with wired solutions. We’ve been excited to see phones start embracing wireless charging advancements, so we were a little disappointed when it looked like the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 didn’t support Qi2. As it turns out, that may not be quite the case, and it all stems from some common misunderstanding about what Qi2 really is.

Apple fans have been enjoying the luxury of magnetically aligned wireless charging since the iPhone 12, and with MagSafe working as well as it does, it’s little surprise that the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) developed Qi2 to replicate a lot of that functionality. Now, Qi2 is a whole lot more than just a magnetic ring, and the protocol includes upgrades like adaptive charging that actively communicates between device and charger. But it feels like everyone (ourselves included) got the impression that magnetic connectivity was a baked-in, core component of Qi2. Turns out: not so much.

Over on X, Mishaal Rahman highlights the distinction, and it turns out the WPC even prepared alternate iconography to let shoppers easily tell the difference between Qi2 devices that do, and those that don’t support Qi2’s Magnetic Power Profile (MPP):

This sounds like what could be going on with the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, with hardware that supports all the energy-transfer and communication standards that make up Qi2, but Google not electing to extend that to the full MPP and give the phones magnets on their back.

For users who are interested in a magnetically attached wireless charging solution, Google tells us that they can always outfit their Pixel 9 with a case that has magnets. Just keep in mind which phone you’re shopping for; while normal cases may swap back and forth between the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro with ease, the charging coils aren’t in the same place on this pair, so you’ll need to make sure you’re buying the right case for your phone.

At least, that’s the best-case scenario here, as while Google has confirmed to us that despite the lack of magnets, the Pixel 9 phones are Qi2-compatible, we have some further questions about just how far that support extends. Critically, the company has used language like “compatible with Qi2” and “work with Qi1 and Qi2 chargers” in its communication with us, but Qi2 chargers are backwards-compatible with Qi1 devices.

That leaves the door open for more ambiguity than we’re comfortable with, so we’ve reached back out to the company for clarification. We’ll update this post with any further information we learn.

This is a developing story. Please check back later for more information.

The Wireless Power Consortium announced the faster Qi2 standard for wireless charging at CES last year with several manufacturers showcasing chargers featuring the new tech. These products are now slowly making their way to the market, even though most Android flagship phones have yet to adopt the standard.

Satechi’s new Qi2 Wireless Car Charger is the latest addition to the lineup, featuring a sleek design with a Space Gray finish that won’t look out of place in most cars. The charger offers 15W wireless charging support — twice as fast as the 7.5W charging output offered by standard Qi chargers. Sadly, only MagSafe-compatible iPhones, i.e. iPhone 12 to iPhone 15 series, can make use of the faster wireless charging speeds at the moment.

Although the Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger will work with standard Qi devices, charging speeds will be limited and you may need additional hardware, like a magnetic sticker or magnetic phone case, to keep your device securely in place. The wireless charger includes integrated magnets that comply with the updated standard, which ensures proper alignment with the phone’s wireless charging coils to improve power transfer and efficiency.

The Satechi Qi2 Wireless Car Charger is available for $59.99 through the company’s website, and it’s a great buy for those who have one of the recent iPhone models. Android OEMs will hopefully adopt the standard soon, so the charger is worth considering if you want to future-proof your purchase. It ships with a one-meter USB-C cable and a 25W cigarette lighter adapter that you can use for wired fast charging in a pinch.

Casetify, the brand always in the news for its customizable phone cases, has announced three additions to its “PowerThru by Casetify” collection. These include a Qi2 car charger, a couple of wall chargers, and a new charging cable.

The new wireless car charger leverages MagSafe technology to make it easy for devices to snap on and off while driving. An adjustable arm and flexible joint should ensure optimal viewing angles and a secure grip. This charger is Qi 2.0 certified, providing 15W wireless charging to MagSafe-compatible iPhones from the iPhone 12 series and above. As with many Casetify products, it comes in various prints for personalization.

Next up are the new multi-port wall chargers. For those needing to power multiple modern devices, the 67W model offers two USB-C PD ports. The 33W model offers lower speeds but more versatility with one USB-C and one USB-A port for charging two devices simultaneously. Both wall chargers utilize GaN technology for faster charging in a compact design.

A new USB type-C to type-C charging cable completes the new releases. It features a stylish color-block design and incorporates recycled materials. The cable supports USB PD 3.1 charging speeds with a theoretical limit of up to 240 Watts.

Casetify doesn’t specify the USB data transfer speeds for their new cable. Considering Apple’s own 240W charging cable is limited to older USB 2.0 speeds (480Mbps), it’s possible Casetify’s cable offers similar capabilities.

This could be an essential distinction for buyers, as USB 2.0 speeds (supported by iPhone 15 and 15 Plus) are significantly slower than the USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds (10Gbps) that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models support.

The new Qi2 car charger retails for $75, placing it in the upper tier of car charging solutions. The 33W and 67W wall chargers are priced at $40 and $70, respectively. Finally, the 240W charging cable costs $30, which might feel a bit steep, especially if it’s limited to USB  2.0 speeds.

Casetify’s existing PowerThru lineup includes a magnetic Power Bank, a 2-in-1 Charging Stand for iPhones and AirPods, and a MagSafe-style wired charger. All products are available on the Casetify website.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee recently announced that they have set a record for wireless EV charging. Their system’s magnetic coils have reached a 100-kilowatt power level. In tests in their lab, the researchers reported their system’s transmitter supplied enough energy to a receiver mounted on the underside of a Hyundai Kona EV to boost the state of charge in the car’s battery by 50 percent (enough for about 150 kilometers of range) in less than 20 minutes.

“Impressive,” says Duc Minh Nguyen, a research associate in the Communication Theory Lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Nguyen is the lead author of several of papers on dynamic wireless charging, including some published when he was working toward his PhD at KAUST.

In 15 minutes, “the batteries could take on enough energy to drive for another two-and-a-half or three hours—just in time for another pit stop.”
–Omer Onar, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Oak Ridge announcement marks the latest milestone in work on wireless charging that stretches back more than a decade. As IEEE Spectrum reported in 2018, WiTricity, headquartered in Watertown, Mass., had announced a partnership with an unspecified automaker to install wireless charging receivers on its EVs. Then in 2021, the company revealed that it was working with Hyundai to outfit some of its Genesis GV60 EVs with Wireless charging. (In early 2023, Car Buzz reported that it had sniffed out paperwork pointing to Hyundai’s plans to equip its Ionic 5 EV with wireless charging capability.)

The plan, said WiTricity, was to equip EVs with magnetic resonance charging capability so that if such a vehicle were parked over a static charging pad installed in, say, the driver’s garage, the battery would reach full charge overnight. By 2020, we noted, a partnership had been worked out between Jaguar, Momentum Dynamics, Nordic taxi operator Cabonline, and charging company Fortam Recharge. That group set out to outfit 25 Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs with Momentum Dynamics’ inductive charging receivers. The receivers and transmitters, rated at 50 to 75 kilowatts, were designed so that any of the specially equipped taxis would receive enough energy for 80 kilometers of range by spending 15 minutes above the energized coils embedded in the pavement as the vehicle works its way through a taxi queue. Now, according to Oak Ridge, roughly the same amount of charging time will yield about 1.5 times that range.

The Oak Ridge research team admits that installing wireless charging pads is expensive, but they say dynamic and static wireless charging can play an important role in expanding the EV charging infrastructure.

This magnetic resonance transmitter pad can wirelessly charge an EV outfitted with a corresponding receiver.Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Omad Onar, an R&D staffer in the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Group at Oak Ridge and a member of the team that developed the newest version of the wireless charging system, envisions the static versions of these wireless charging systems being useful even for extended drives on highways. He imagines them being placed under a section of specially marked parking spaces that allow drivers to pull up and start charging without plugging in. “The usual routine—fueling up, using the restroom, and grabbing coffee or a snack usually takes about 15 minutes or more. In that amount of time, the batteries could take on enough energy to drive for another two-and-a-half or three hours—just in time for another pit stop.” What’s more, says Onar, he and his colleagues are still working to refine the system so it will transfer energy more efficiently than the one-off prototype they built in their lab.

Meanwhile, Israeli company Electreon has already installed electrified roads for pilot projects in Sweden, Norway, Italy, and other European countries, and has plans for similar projects in the United States. The company found that by installing a stationary wireless charging spot at one terminal end of a bus route near Tel Aviv University (its first real-world project), electric buses operating on that route were able to ferry passengers back and forth using batteries with one-tenth the storage capacity that was previously deemed necessary. Smaller batteries mean cheaper vehicles. What’s more, says Nguyen, charging a battery in short bursts throughout the day instead of depleting it and filling it with up with, say, an hour-long charge at a supercharging station extends the battery’s life.