The Qi v2.2.1 standard now has a fancy marketing name: Qi2 25W. And as that name implies, this is a wireless charging spec that goes up to 25W. It was officially unveiled today by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).
The WPC promises that “major Android smartphones” (whatever that means) are about to “join the Qi2 ecosystem for the first time with this launch”, obviously in addition to Apple’s iPhones. Fourteen devices, receivers and transmitters, completed Qi2 25W certification testing last week, and full-scale certification testing is now open to “several hundred devices waiting in the queue to be tested”.
Undoubtedly most of those devices will be accessories like chargers and power banks, but it will still be interesting to see some Android phones supporting the new standard too. Whether they will keep going to magnet-free route or finally switch to built-in magnets like the iPhones remains to be seen.
Compared to the previous, 15W spec, Qi2 25W delivers almost 70% more power, and according to WPC market research, faster wireless charging is the number one consumer-requested feature to improve wireless charging satisfaction.
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