Galaxy S25 leak reveals ‘magnet case’ – what does that mean for Qi2?

Ben Schoon | Dec 13 2024 - 7:35 am PT

Samsung is rumored to be finally adopting the Qi2 standard in its upcoming Galaxy S25 series, but a new leak revealing a “magnet case” from Samsung is causing some to believe it might not happen. Let’s talk about it.

A recent rumor “confirmed” by notorious leaker Ice Universe claims that Samsung will be adopting the Qi2 wireless charging standard in the Galaxy S25 series. That standard also adds magnets to the device which can be used for wireless charger alignment and various other accessories. This would mark the first mainstream Android device to adopt the standard, over two years after it was first announced.

It’s exciting, but some are worried it may not happen.

Another leak from Finnish publication Suomimobiili cites a carrier mistake which revealed a bunch of official accessories for the upcoming Galaxy S25 series. This includes the usual options such as a “Standing Case,” “Rugged Case,” and others. There’s also mention of a “Magnet Case” which is transparent.

This case is what’s throwing a wrench in the works.

A dedicated, transparent “Magnet Case” existing alongside a “Clear Case” raises an eyebrow, as you’d expect Samsung to adopt magnets across all of its cases if the company is adopting Qi2 inside of the phone itself. As such, some have come to the conclusion that Samsung may not be adopting Qi2 natively, but rather that the company will be relying on cases to implement that functionality. That’s also what OnePlus has done, with the OnePlus 13 not natively supporting Qi2, but official cases (in China) offering built-in magnets.

What does this mean for Qi2? It’s hard to say anything for certain. Apple currently offers MagSafe (aka Qi2) in all of its official cases. The HMD Skyline, the only Android device that has adopted Qi2 thus far, also has magnets in both of its official cases (silicone and rugged). That’s an established pattern, but it’s hard to know what Samsung plans to do, especially as we’re only seeing names so far, not any images or listings.

There’s simply not enough information at this time to know for sure – it could easily go either way.

We’ll probably find out more as Samsung’s January 22 launch event nears.