The Wireless Charging Standards Organization (WPC) announced at the CES 2023 exhibition Qi2, a new standard for charging that will make its way to devices that will be released towards the end of this year. Qi2 uses a magnetic connection to fix the charger to the device in the best position, thus enabling faster and more reliable charging, without the battery getting hot or damaged.
If this idea sounds familiar, it is certainly not by accident. Apple’s MagSafe, which was introduced about two years ago alongside the iPhone 12 series, works in exactly this way – and it seems that Apple chose to donate it in its entirety to the WPC in order for it to become a global standard. Apple is also the one leading the effort to create the new standard, as a prominent company in the standardization organization.
This means that it is likely that Apple will abandon the MagSafe brand in the future, and support its devices with Qi2, which is a similar or even identical standard. Future plans are to expand the new standard even further, so that it can be used to charge non-flat devices such as virtual reality glasses and smart watches. Also, while the current maximum charging power of MagSafe stands at 15 watts, the Qi2 standard is expected to allow wireless charging at a higher power – although not immediately at launch.
It should be noted that the organization is already clarifying that the device will deal with the connection for the purpose of charging devices and not for any other use. Some of the common MagSafe accessories on the market are not actually chargers, but use the magnetic connections to hold the device, for example in devices intended for vehicles, or wallets for storing credit cards. The magnets installed in iPhone devices and compatible accessories are strong enough to allow this grip, but Qi2 does not guarantee this: the strength of the magnets, and the possibility of using them for the purpose of holding the device and not only for the position of the charger will depend only on the manufacturers.