Qi2 has finally caught up to Apple just in time for the iPhone 17 to beat it

Macworld

For the past year, the only way to get 25W magnetic charging on your iPhone 16 Plus or Pro Max (or 22.5W on the iPhone 16 or 16 Pro) was with Apple’s official MagSafe Charger. That’s finally charging with the first 25W magnetic wireless charging products hitting the shelves in the coming weeks, bidding farewell to 15W Qi2 chargers.

Originally referred to as Qi 2.2, the technology will now be referred to as Qi2 25W, and we are expecting super-speedy chargers from the likes of Belkin, Ugreen, Anker, and Baseus to land on shelves within the coming weeks. However, as the timing lines up perfectly with the launch of the iPhone 17 next month, rumors suggest Apple will announce a new version of MagSafe that could hit speeds of 50W.

Last fall, Apple started selling an updated MagSafe Charger that can power the iPhone 16 magnetically at up to 25W. Similarly, the Qi2 25W chargers coming soon will work with iPhone 16 and 17 with iOS 26, allowing the iPhone to magnetically charge to 50 percent in just 30 minutes with a third-party accessory..

Qi2 25W, like MagSafe, gets its speed boost from smarter energy and heat management, as wireless charging is less efficient than charging using a physical cable. While Qi2 25W builds on the foundation of Apple’s pioneering MagSafe charging technology and is available for a range of devices, Android phones rarely support magnetic wireless charging and are mostly limited to slower Qi charging mats.

Belkin, which announced that its upcoming wireless chargers have officially received Qi2 25W certification, expects Android brands such as Google, Samsung and OnePlus to announce Qi2 25W support soon. Qi2 25W is backwards compatible with Qi2 and Qi devices, although those older accessories won’t deliver the faster speeds. The max speeds break down like this:

MagSafe: 15W-25W

MagSafe Compatible: 7.5W

Qi2: 15W

Qi2 25W: 25W

An Apple move to 50W would keep it significantly ahead of the third-party 25W chargers. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17 in September. For all the latest news, stay tuned to our iPhone 17 superguide.

Macworld has tested the best magnetic wireless chargers, which range from simple charging pads to more functional multi-device chargers, as well as the best magnetic charging iPhone power banks.