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I just charged my Magsafe iPhone 14 on a Qi2 wireless charger
- We wirelessly charged several Magsafe phones on a Qi2 charger at MWC 2023.
- The WPC is working to miniaturize its technology for wearables.
- Qi2-certified products will be on the market by the end of 2023.
Back at CES 2023, the Wireless Power Consortum (WPC) announced Qi2 wireless charging. With magnets in tow, we were left scratching our heads: “Will this work with Apple’s Magsafe”? Our question was answered when we passed by the Qi2 booth at MWC 2023.
While WPC spokespeople were keen to note that the term “backwards compatible” is up to Apple to confirm, we popped an Apple iPhone 14 and iPhone 12 on a Qi2 wireless charging pad and instantly saw the charging notification light up. We also took the opportunity to test a Pixel 7 with a Magsafe case on it, and were once again greeted with a friendly “charging wirelessly” toast. For all intents and purposes, Qi2 and Magsafe appear to play very nicely together, despite the supposedly different magnet patterns.
This is hugely important. Existing Magsafe devices and accessories should work just fine with Qi2-certified products set to launch later in 2023. Likewise, upcoming Qi2 smartphones and other gadgets should work as intended with Magsafe accessories you can already buy today. It also means that Apple doesn’t need to adopt the Qi2 branding to ensure interoperability, which was always an outside chance.
Our meeting at MWC also reiterated that faster universal wireless charging is coming our way with Qi2.1, to drive wireless power above today’s 15W cap. Likewise, WPC engineers are working to better support wireless charging for oddly shaped gadgets, such as VR headsets. Future versions of Qi2 will also be miniaturized for wearables, which would go a huge way to help solving the proprietary cradle nightmare that haunts today’s multi-smartwatch homes.
Qi2 sounds like it’ll solve all of today’s wireless charging woes. Here’s hoping everything plays out as planned by the time the first accessories and gadgets land before the end of 2023.