More powerful Qi2 wireless charging is official; could come to Galaxy phones

When the Qi2 wireless charging standard went official a couple of years ago, people expected that it would be widely adopted by Android smartphone brands. However, it wasn't. Now, a faster version of Wireless Power Consortium's (WPC) Qi2 wireless charging standard has been announced, and it will be adopted by a major Android phone brand.

WPC has just announced a new wireless charging standard—Qi v2.2.1—and it is called Qi2 25W. Because it can reach maximum charging speeds of up to 25W. WPC says that “major Android smartphones” will soon come with this new standard. While the group that oversees the standard's development didn't name the brand, it is expected that Google will use it in the Pixel 10 series that will be unveiled on August 20.

Apparently, fourteen devices, receivers, and transmitters received Qi2 25W certification in the last week, and several hundred more are in line to be certified with the new standard. Most of these will be chargers, charging stands, and power banks. It would be interesting to see which brands adopt the Qi2 25W standard.

Samsung has been found doing surveys about including built-in magnets to support Qi2 in future Galaxy phones and has also developed a chip that can reach up to 50W wireless charging speeds. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra was recently confirmed to feature faster wired charging speeds, it isn't clear if Samsung will adopt the Qi2 or Qi2 25W wireless charging standard for the Galaxy S26 lineup.

WPC says market research shows that faster wireless charging is the number one consumer-requested feature to improve wireless charging satisfaction.