The Pixel 10 Could Break Android’s Qi2 Curse With Built-In Magnets And First-Party Accessories
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You almost have to feel bad for the HMD Skyline. It could have been the first mainstream Android phone with real Qi2 support, but people found it underpowered and overpriced, so it never caught on. Then, the Galaxy S25 family almost broke new ground, only to reveal the Wireless Power Consortium’s updated, magnet-free Qi2 Ready standard.
This time, things are different. A highly reliable leak courtesy of insider Kamila Wojciechowska and Android Authority indicates complete Qi2 support could hit Google’s smartphone lineup this year. The revelation comes after uncovering “credible marketing materials” outlining a set of Qi2.2 accessories, dubbed the “Pixelsnap” lineup, which implies the Pixel 10 series will likely have the required magnets and coils baked in, all in the correct positions.
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Years later, Qi2 arrives (on the Pixel)
Magnets for the masses
This could be us, but the HMD Skyline wasn’t very good.
After a surprisingly dramatic series of twists and turns regarding whether Qi2 actually requires internal magnets, I went right to the source. The WPC assured me, and others, that it wasn’t relaxing its standards. So, imagine my frustration when it unveiled the Qi2 Ready standard, which, at the time, seemed more like a carved-out exception for Samsung than a consumer-focused decision.
I ended up eating my words when reports emerged of the Pixel 9 Pro XL not playing nice with all Qi2 chargers. As it turns out, the 9 Pro XL’s charging coil is off-center by just enough to cause problems with magnetically connecting to Qi2 chargers, making it ineligible for the Qi2 Ready standard.
Thankfully, Google appears poised to squash that bug with the Pixel 10 lineup. Leaker Kamila Wojciechowska gained access to a set of marketing materials on a planned lineup of Pixelsnap accessories, including a charger, a ring stand, and a charger with a stand.
Source: Android Authority
That indirectly implies the Pixel 10’s full Qi2 support, but Wojciechowska went a step further, to rule out another Qi2 Ready-style bait and switch. In doing so, they found shocking details. The wireless charger isn’t just Qi2, it’s Qi2.2, and the trade database listing they referenced explicitly mentioned Magnetic Power Profile support. That MPP support lies at the heart of a phone’s ability to stick firmly to magnetic Qi2 accessories.
Additional insider investigation led Wojciechowska to clear confirmation: the Pixel 10 family will very likely support the Qi2.2 standard. What’s more, the controller chip slated for the flagship technically supports up to 60W wireless charging. That gives Google the overhead to do more than break Android’s years-long magnetic accessory curse. It could blow Apple’s MagSafe charging — the original tech behind Qi2 — out of the water.
