Samsung set a new wireless charging standard by offering Qi 2.1 support to its Galaxy S25 series.
Last week Samsung launched its Galaxy S25 series, including the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. Before the official launch, it was reported that Samsung plans to offer upgraded charging support to enhance the high-end charging functionality.
According to the reports from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), Samsung Galaxy S25 series devices (Base, Plus, and Ultra) are the first to get Qi2.1 support and join only the HMD Skyline in supporting Qi2.0.0 and higher on Android. On the comparison side, most of the Android smartphones available in the market support Qi1.3.3.
Noticeably, the Qi2.1.0 does not support the “Magnetic Power Profile.” At least for now, this means that smartphones that don’t have built-in magnets, for instance, Samsung’s newest models, can still utilize Qi2 Ready by using cases with magnets, rather than needing magnets in the phone itself.
Currently, the Korean tech giant is exploiting this updated standard to sell its magnet cases, which give customers an official reason to use Qi2 and MagSafe accessories with perfect coil alignment.
The WPC lists the Galaxy S25 series with 15W maximum charging speeds, which means that it will let you be free from most wireless chargers, even if they have the magnetic alignment. On the other side, the iPhone 16 series supports up to 25W charging through select accessories, but the WPC lists Apple’s devices with 15W maximum charging speeds. Noticeably, it will need accessories that can both put out that amount of power and support whatever changes Samsung has made to prevent that from happening.
