Want Qi2 charging on Galaxy S26? You may need to let go of this feature

Samsung’s current lineup of non-foldable flagship phones, the Galaxy S25 series, comes with the Qi2 Ready certification. It means that while the devices in the lineup support the Qi2 charging protocol, they don’t have magnets, and you need to put them in magnetic Qi2 cases to make them fully compatible with Qi2 accessories (to make them hold onto Qi2 accessories). 

On the other hand, Google’s Pixel 10 series, which the brand launched last week, has full-fledged Qi2 support. In other words, these devices have support for Qi2 with magnets. However, to offer that, Google had to sacrifice reverse wireless charging. It suggests that Samsung may also have to skip the feature for the Galaxy S26 series to equip it with Qi2 and magnets.

Last week, Google launched the Pixel 10 series. The devices in the lineup are the second in the Android market to feature support for Qi2 with magnets. However, folks at Droidreader discovered that they lack reverse wireless charging, a feature that can charge other devices wirelessly, which is something that their predecessors, the Pixel 9 lineup offered. When the publication asked Google about it, this is what the brand had to say:

“The Pixel 10 series features Qi2 magnetic wireless charging for more efficient and reliable wireless charging (…) The array of magnets creates a strong connection with the charger but presents a physical limitation for reverse wireless charging. While this means Battery Share is not currently available on the Pixel 10, we are constantly exploring future innovations to improve the Pixel experience.”

Going by Google’s statement, it looks like while equipping the Pixel 10 series with Qi2 and magnets, the brand either didn’t have space to accommodate components for reverse wireless charging or that the magnets interfere with the reverse wireless charging. 

Either way, Samsung could also run into the same problem when equipping the Galaxy S26 series with Qi2 and magnets. In other words, its possible that if the Galaxy S26 lineup offers support for Qi2 and magnets, it may not have reverse wireless charging.

While that would be a bummer, very few people use reverse wireless charging. Most people would prefer Qi2 with magnets over reverse wireless charging. However, having both would be great. Google suggests that it is working on offering both. We hope that Samsung makes a similar effort.