I’m back with another iPhone versus Android comparison. But this time, I’m writing as a forlorn Android user scorned by the manufacturers who make the ecosystem as popular as it is. Google and Samsung failed to adopt Qi2 this year, the new wireless charging standard incorporating faster charging speeds and magnetic capabilities. But Apple didn’t. It included the Qi2 charging ability in both tiers of the iPhone 16.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are equipped with Qi2, which supports faster charging over MagSafe. And since Apple owns its supply chain and can make this kind of tweak, the iPhones will charge wirelessly even quicker at 25W, compared to the standard 15W maximum charging rate for the rest of Qi2-equipped devices. Both speeds are a nice bump from the 5W standard of regular Qi charging, and I’m bummed Android hasn’t adopted it yet.
Earlier this year, when Samsung announced the Galaxy S24 series, I read many forum posts and social media commentary about how the brand failed to adopt the Qi2 charging standard. I didn’t think it was a big deal because I’ve been pretty satisfied with the tethered charging speeds. For instance, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra supports super fast charging when plugged into a 45W power brick and a high-capacity cable. Still, getting speedier movement out of the battery meter from the wireless charging pad on my nightstand would be nice.
Qi2 also features a Magnetic Power Profile or MPP. It was supposed to bring Apple’s MagSafe-compatible magnetic accessories to the Android way of life. I’m still using a “fake MagSafe” by way of the knock-off cases I manage to find on Amazon with the circular magnet pinned to the back. They work with the Apple-specific MagSafe accessories to an extent, but there’s nothing like having something natively supported.
The good news is if you’re buying an iPhone this season, you’re getting the latest wireless charging standard and a faster proprietary charging speed within Apple’s ecosystem of cables and power bricks. The bad news is that the Pixel 9 Pro I have waiting at home to replace my Pixel 8 will not. This world runs on smartphones, and people always remain connected to the internet, so things need to charge faster than they do. Anyway, thank you to the third-party market for making knock-off MagSafe cases for Android.