What Is Qi2 Wireless Charging?

howtogeek.com:

Wireless charging has always been convenient, but it was typically slower than wired charging methods. Good news! With the Qi2 wireless charging standard, things are faster and more convenient.

Qi2 is a Modern Wireless Charging Standard

Qi2 is an open wireless charging protocol that has been standardized by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). The original Qi standard was established in 2008 (along with the WPC itself), and in November 2023 the newer Qi2 standard was officially launched.

There have been smaller updates to the original Qi charging standard, but Qi2 makes some big changes. The standard supports up to 15w of power at launch, three times more than the original standard (5w) and double what Apple’s MagSafe wireless charging launched with (7.5w).

Based on Apple’s MagSafe charging technology, Qi2 is characterized by what the WPC calls a Magnetic Power Profile (MPP). New Qi2 chargers feature magnets for quick alignment on a charger. Products that include magnets will be branded with the Qi2 logo.

Qi2 maintains backward compatibility with Qi devices. Even if your older wirelessly charging device can’t make use of higher power outputs or magnetic alignment, it will still be able to charge wirelessly using a Qi2-certified charger. The original Qi logo will still be used since a revision to the standard (confusingly known as Qi v2.0) allows these devices to draw more power.

Qi is pronounced “chee” and is derived from the Chinese word that means “vapor” or “air” but is more commonly translated as “vital energy” or “vital force.”

Charging Is Easier and Faster (and Getting Even Better)

Taking a leaf out of Apple’s book, Qi2 relies on magnets to solve one of the biggest annoyances with wireless chargers: alignment. It’s no fun fishing around on a wireless charging pad to find the “sweet spot” where your phone reports that it is finally charging. It’s even less fun to return to the charger 30 minutes later to realize things weren’t lined up correctly.

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