The latest specification boosts the wireless charging speed from the 15W supported by the previous Qi2 version to 25W, and some iPhones are supported.
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), an industry consortium that develops open standards which ensure worldwide compatibility of all wireless chargers and power sources, yesterday published the official specification of the Qi2.2 protocol.
The press release notes that the momentum building behind the Qi 2.2 wireless charging protocol, rebranded as Qi2 25W, is “incredible.”
What iPhones will support Qi2 25W wireless charging?
It’s unclear at this moment if the latest 25W Qi2 specification can be implemented on existing iPhones via software (which was the case when Qi2 was first released) or if new hardware is required. Regulatory filings for unreleased Apple MagSafe chargers indicate that the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup will support Qi2 25W. In the Android camp, major companies like Samsung are expected to add support for Qi2 25W.
iPhone and Android owners will also need compatible chargers to take advantage of the faster Qi2 25W wireless charging. Accessory vendors have now begun unveiling compatible chargers ahead of the iPhone 17 lineup in the fall.
For example, Ugreen’s MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank is the first charger to receive Qi2 25W certification from the WPC. Anker and Baseus have also received a certification for their upcoming chargers. Twelve South, Nomad and other companies will also release chargers compatible with Qi2 25W.
Qi2 25W brings 70 percent faster wireless charging
Fady Mishriki, chair of the WPC’s Board of Directors, said that Qi2 25W delivers nearly 70 percent more power than the original Qi2.
Qi2 brings MagSafe-like features such as magnetic alignment for improved charging efficiency and a secure connection between devices and chargers. That’s because Apple, a WPC member, has contributed MagSafe to the Qi2 specification. Current iPhones support both MagSafe and Qi2 at 15W. On the iPhone 16 models, MagSafe supports faster 25W charging when paired with Apple’s official 30W charger.
What Qi2 25W means for you
Qi2 25W will bring several benefits over the previous Qi2 15W standard, including faster top-up sessions and backward compatibility with existing chargers. Basically, you’ll go from cable-dependent fast charging to nearly the same speed, just by placing your phone on a compatible wireless pad or magnet.
And because Qi2 25W is backwards compatible, any existing devices that are unsuitable to get Qi2 25W via a firmware update will still power up on Qi2 25W chargers, though at slower 15W speeds.