Google didn’t adopt Qi2 in the Pixel 9 series

Ben Schoon | Aug 13 2024 - 11:10 am PT

The Qi2 charging standard is a big deal, but it’s seen very minimal adoption thus far. We thought that there was a good chance the Google Pixel 9 series would adopt Qi2, but that’s sadly not the case.

Qi2 was announced in early 2023 and was finalized towards the end of the year, with actual products starting to hit the market around that time. But no Android phones had adopted it. That’s not surprising, though, as it takes a while for a device to be made, and a new standard can’t be implemented overnight. A Google employee joining oversight of the Qi2 standard seemed to hint that the Pixel 9 series would support the standard, but that unfortunately did not happen.

While the entire Pixel 9 series supports wireless charging, Google hasn’t implemented the ring of magnets used in Qi2.

We tested this out with a MagSafe accessory during out hands-on time with the Pixel 9 series, and there was no attraction whatsoever. It’s not a huge surprise given Google’s early release this year, meaning these phones were probably well into development when Qi2 was finalized. Even if they’d stuck to an October release, the timeline would have been tight.

There will still be plenty of third-party cases and accessories that add support for Qi2 and MagSafe accessories on Google’s latest devices, but it’s not built in, which is certainly a shame. Hopefully, that’ll change on the Pixel 10. In the meantime, the first Android phone with Qi2 support is the HMD Skyline.