All the news on Qi2 wireless charging

Last August, Kuxiu debuted a MagSafe battery that can do more than just wirelessly charge your phone. The company’s K1 wireless power bank featured a unique design that split and swiveled 90-degrees to reveal a second wireless charger for the Apple Watch or AirPods. Kuxiu’s new K1 Ultra does the exact same thing, but now supports the Qi2.2 standard so compatible smartphones like the Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 16 and 17 series will charge at faster 25W rates.

The Kuxiu K1 Ultra is only available in a 10,000mAh version (the original K1 also had a 5,000mAh option) discounted from $99.99 to $79.99 when purchased through the company’s online store. At 256.5 grams it’s about 24 grams heavier than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and at over 0.85 inches thick it’s definitely going to add a bit of bulk to the back of your device. While its wireless phone charging speeds have improved, the Apple Watch and AirPods will still charge much slower at 5W.

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Nomad has announced updated versions of its Stand One and Stand One Max hubs that now support the Qi2.2 standard for faster wireless charging rates of up to 25W when used with compatible smartphones like the Pixel 10 Pro XL and the iPhone 16 and 17 series. As with previous versions, the new Stand One and Stand One Max are made from a mix of glass and CNC-machined aluminum, so they’re both sleek and sturdy. A braided USB-C cable is included, but each requires you to supply your own 40W USB-C charger. According to the FAQ on Nomad’s site, the company believes “many people already own multiple power adapters and that providing additional units creates unnecessary waste.”

The new version of the Stand One is available now for $119 through Nomad’s online store in silver or carbide color options. It weighs 575 grams, or over 1.2 pounds, and comes with one other upgrade besides Qi2.2 compatibility. Nomad has added a second wireless charging pad on the base, tucked in behind the angled phone support, that can charge AirPods and “most other wireless charging-compatible headphones” at 5W rates.

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When it comes to inventive USB-C accessories with rad designs, nobody does it like Sharge. Now it’s following up its classic Mac-inspired chargers, its Braun turntable-inspired battery, and whatever the heck this is supposed to be, with a new MagSafe battery that specifically echoes Sony’s classic T-Series Cybershot cameras.

It’s called the Icemag 3, and it’s a 39.1Wh battery (10,000mAh, if you must) with a built-in 25W Qi 2.2 magnetic wireless charger, a 35W USB-C cable built into its fabric lanyard, optional RGB lighting, an active fan for cooling, and an extra USB-C port for passthrough charging, too.

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Kuxiu already made my favorite 3-in-1 Qi2 charger, and now it’s back with an even smaller yet more powerful version. The MagSafe-compatible Qi2.2 charger folds up super compact for travel and unfurls into a “Z” to simultaneously charge an Apple Watch, AirPods, or other Qi-enabled earbuds, and a Qi2 25W phone like the new Pixel 10 Pro XL and iPhone 17 series — all from a single USB-C cable.

The $79.99 / €68.95 X40 Turbo charging stand supports the new Qi2.2 standard (aka, Qi2 25W), so it can wirelessly charge compatible devices at a maximum of 25W, up from 15W on last year’s $79.99 model. That price also gets you a 45W USB-C PD charger, carrying case, and cable in the box.

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Apple introduced an updated version of its MagSafe charging puck a year ago that can wirelessly charge its then new iPhone 16 lineup at faster 25W rates. However, when used with other devices, including older iPhone models, charging rates were limited to 15W and slower. A new version of Apple’s MagSafe Charger is now available, and like the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max, it now fully supports the Qi2.2 standard and can be used to charge other compatible devices (like the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL) at 25W rates, as spotted by MacRumors and 9to5Mac.

The new charger, which was first leaked last June through Taiwan’s National Communications Commission’s website, is now available through Apple’s online store with a 1-meter USB-C cable for $39, or a 2-meter cable for $49.

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Baseus has announced a new accessory that can wirelessly charge a Qi2-compatible smartphone directly on an outlet, making it useful as a hands-free wall mount. It’s reminiscent of a similar wireless charger that Zens released last year, but Baseus’ new EnerGeek GT01 has additional functionality, including a 10,000mAh battery that can be separated from the adapter’s AC plug for use as a portable power bank and wireless charger, leaving behind a simple 27W USB-C charger still stuck in the wall.

Wireless charging is limited to Qi2 rates so your phone will only charge at 15W instead of the faster 25W that you’ll get from new Qi2.2 chargers. If you’re in a hurry to revive a dying phone, or want to charge a device that’s not Qi-compatible, the EnerGeek GT01 also has a USB-C port that outputs 45W on the device’s power bank half. The Qi2 pad and both USB-C ports can all be used simultaneously when the two halves are connected, but while wireless charging will maintain a steady 15W rate, the two USB ports will dynamically share the remaining available power.

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Just one week after EcoFlow launched the fastest 99Wh power bank yet, Anker is firing back at IFA 2025 with a souped-up portable battery of its own. Anker’s Prime Power Bank (26k, 300W) supports 250W of input, or up to 300W of output to charge multiple devices simultaneously, making it a decent runner-up. It arrives alongside a revamped Prime series of devices that includes a Qi2 25W charging station, a small but powerful GaN wall charger, and a 14-in-1 docking station that supports up to three displays.

Anker’s Prime Power Bank (26k, 300W) holds an airline-friendly capacity of 26,250mAh (99.75Wh at 3.8V). It features two bidirectional USB-C ports capable of 140W each, in addition to a 22.5W USB-A jack. The total output is 300W, which is enough to charge two power-hungry laptops and a phone simultaneously. Unfortunately, it lacks the “find device” feature from earlier Prime power banks.

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Belkin has announced new charging accessories at the IFA tech show in Berlin, Germany, including a wireless charging puck that doubles as a kickstand for your devices. The UltraCharge Magnetic Charger features a collapsible ring-shaped stand on the back that can either be used to prop up your phone, allowing you to stream hands-free content while it’s charging, or utilized like a magnetic phone grip that makes the device easier to hold.

The UltraCharge uses the new Qi2.2 wireless standard, delivers up to 25W of power, and was designed with passive cooling technology for “optimal performance and battery protection,” according to Belkin’s press release. The UltraCharge Magnetic Charger comes in either black or white color options, and includes an integrated 6.6 feet / 2 meter USB-C cable, which might be a little restrictive if you want to use the ring grip to carry your phone around while it’s charging.

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ESR has issued a recall for 33,000 HaloLock wireless power banks, in 6,000mAh and 10,000mAh versions, because their lithium-ion batteries can “overheat and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.” The power banks were cheaper alternatives to Apple’s MagSafe accessories (priced between $32 and $40) but offered slower 7.5W wireless charging speeds when used with an iPhone. Other Qi2 compatible chargers offer at least 15W speeds.

The company has received nine reports of the power banks catching fire and exploding, causing around $20,000 of property damage, but no injuries, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Although the exact model number wasn’t revealed, seven months ago, a Reddit user shared images of the aftermath of a power bank exploding and catching fire in their home, which they later identified as an “ESR 10000 mah wireless portable charger.”

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If you’re firmly in the Apple hardware ecosystem, Kuxiu’s K1 wireless power bank could be more useful to you than other portable MagSafe batteries. You can stick it to the back of your iPhone to keep it charged when you don’t have access to power, but rotating the K1 90 degrees reveals a second built-in wireless charger so you can simultaneously charge an Apple Watch or AirPods with a charging case that supports that feature.

The K1 3-in-1 MagSafe Wireless Power Bank is currently available from Kuxiu’s website in a 5,000mAh version that’s discounted from $99.99 to $57.99, or a slightly thicker but more capacious 10,000mAh version that’s discounted from $109.99 to $67.99. It can charge a MagSafe-compatible iPhone at 15W speeds (the iPhone 16 lineup can wirelessly charge at 25W using Apple’s latest MagSafe charger) while the Apple Watch and AirPods charge at 5W.

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Ugreen has announced what it claims is the “world’s first Qi2.2-certified power bank” that can wireless charge devices at speeds of up to 25W. Most wireless chargers in the US currently max out at just 15W of power delivery, but the Ugreen MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank will push that to 25W, matching the speed of the updated MagSafe charger Apple introduced alongside its iPhone 16 lineup last September.

The 10,000mAh MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank features a built-in USB-C charging cable that doubles as a lanyard when not in use instead of retracting, an additional USB-C port for charging multiple devices at once, and a small screen showing its remaining capacity. However, because the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has not yet finalized the Qi2.2 standard, Ugreen hasn’t provided specific details on when its new power bank will be available aside from a Q3 2025 launch. The company also isn’t ready to talk about pricing yet.

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Wireless charging is slower and less efficient than plugging in a wire, but it’s certainly convenient — especially when you add magnets. Most people who have an iPhone 12 or later (except the 16E) and want a magnetic charger should get a Qi2 charger. Any Qi2-certified charger will charge a MagSafe iPhone up to 15W — just as fast as MagSafe on any phone but the 25W-capable iPhone 16. Qi2 chargers are also less expensive than MagSafe-certified ones, and there are many more options. And unlike MagSafe, Qi2 is an open standard.

All of Samsung’s Galaxy S25-series phones — including the new S25 Edge — are “Qi2 Ready,” which means they don’t have the magnets, but they can charge up to 15W on a Qi2 charger when paired with a Qi2 Ready magnetic case. While it’s disappointing that Samsung didn’t include Qi2 in the phones themselves, most people use a case, so this feels like a small price to pay for access to the huge ecosystem of Qi2 accessories. If you use Android and like the sound of Qi2, we expect Google and others to release more Qi2-compatible phones later this year.

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Solid-state batteries are the future. They’re more powerful, compact, safe, and sustainable than Lithium-ion alternatives, but true all-solid state batteries can’t be mass-produced cost-effectively. That’s why Kuxiu has gone semi-solid state for what it calls the “world’s safest” power bank, while calling dibs on it being a world first.

Kuxiu’s $79.99 S2 Qi2 5000mAh MagSafe Solid-State Power Bank supports Qi2 for 15W wireless charging. And with a 5,000mAh at 3.8V (19Wh) capacity, it holds enough energy to charge the smaller iPhone models from zero to full. And despite using the truncated “solid state” in the S2 name and product page, the company confirmed to me that it’s built around a semi-solid state battery and that distinction matters.

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The Wireless Power Consortium announced at CES on Monday that more Android devices will use the MagSafe-based Qi2 charging standard in 2025. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll all have magnets, though; the WPC says it now has a “Qi2 Ready” certification for phones that need a case to add the magnetic alignment ring but otherwise meet the charging standard’s spec.

The announcement of Qi2 Ready could explain recent rumors that you’ll need a case to add magnetic charging to Galaxy S25 phones from Samsung, which says it’s releasing Qi2 Galaxy devices later this year. Meanwhile, Google says it’s “committed to the Qi2 wireless charging standard” and is contributing “its own high-power wireless charging technology to WPC.”

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Anker has released its thinnest MagSafe-compatible power bank, measuring about a third of an inch thick. It’s only got a 5,000mAh battery inside, so you probably won’t get two full iPhone charges with it, but Anker has updated it with 15W Qi2 wireless charging speeds so your phone can charge faster.

It’s currently available exclusively through Apple’s online and retail stores for $49.95 in either blue or white, making it $10 more expensive than the older MagGo 621 Magnetic Battery that Anker still sells through its website. For comparison, the older version of the 5K battery is 0.45-inches thick and only supports wireless charging speeds up to 7.5W.

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Qi2 chargers are quite prevalent these days and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, so why not make one exclusively for Europeans with outlets above their kitchen countertops and a neat assortment of olive oils?

Zens may have figured out the key to a truly wire-free wireless charger with its new Wireless Charging Adapter. It’s a lot like most Qi2 / MagSafe chargers, capable of charging an iPhone at up to 15W, but it skips the usual wire between the outlet and magnetic pad to just plug directly into the wall.

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Apple released a new, more powerful version of the MagSafe charger during its September iPhone 16 event today. The puck will be compatible with all iPhones and any Qi2 device, but only the new iPhone 16 models are listed as supporting the fastest 25W wireless charging rate.

That’s a higher maximum rate than the phones offered by Samsung and Google right now — the Galaxy S24 series maxes out at 15W, while Google’s Pixel 9 phones range from 15W–23W when using the second-generation Google Pixel Stand. (Pixel 9 models can only manage 12W charging on standard Qi chargers.)

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Ugreen has a new collection of iPhone and USB accessories for IFA 2024 that really turn up the charm. The Uno line is a collection of GaN and Qi2 chargers, cables, a power bank, and a USB-C hub, each featuring a tiny screen solely for displaying robot-like emoji faces.

The most endearing ones by far are the $60 Uno Charger 100W four-port USB and the $70 15W Qi2 magnetic power bank that sticks to MagSafe phones — each looks like a helpful little bot friend you’ve appointed to live on your desk and help with your charging duties. They’re also the most expressive, with their TFT screens that show up to half a dozen different faces to give some idea of the actual charge levels / rates of your device.

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Nomad is course-correcting from a small design blunder last year on its three-in-one MagSafe charging stand. Like its predecessor, the new Stand One Max for 2024 is a wireless multi-charger for a compatible iPhone, Apple Watch, and set of AirPods. However, now you can charge all of those devices with your phone in landscape orientation, allowing you to use Apple’s nifty StandBy mode for glanceable information like the time and weather. The new stand is also Qi2-compatible, and at $150, it’s actually $30 cheaper than the original’s launch price, which I love to see.

Other than that, the new Stand One Max (which Nomad calls “third-gen” to align with other models in its lineup, even though it’s only the second version) has a lot in common with the original. It comes in silver or black, includes a color-matched 6.6-foot / 2-meter detachable USB-C cable (but not the required 30W power adapter), fast-charges compatible Apple Watches, and is made from metal and glass. The new model weighs just a touch more at 1.9 pounds (versus the original’s 1.8 pounds), and that’s likely due to the base being about 0.75 inches longer to accommodate the watch charger’s new location, clearing the path for a horizontally mounted phone up top.

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MagSafe isn’t a particularly controversial standard, but I’ve heard people grumble about it. They get upset because it doesn’t charge quite as efficiently as an old-fashioned cable and they get annoyed that any phone case needs to be MagSafe-compatible. But could charging by cable provide you with something as stupidly fun as this new phone stand from Elago?

The Elago MagSafe MS W5 Charging Stand is a mouthful of a name for what’s just a Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP shaped MagSafe stand. Do the buttons and switches work? No! Does it fold close? Absolutely not! It’s merely a piece of plastic you slot a MagSafe charger into. It’s so simple you could probably 3D print something similar at home.

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