Samsung has just released the S25 Series with Qi 2.1 wireless charging technology. Although that’s an upgrade, the charging speed is still the same. Let’s break it down for you and why Samsung is different this time with wireless charging.
Qi 2.1: First for S25 Series
WPC confirmed that the first devices to have Qi 2.1 are Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra. Although that’s a big deal, there’s no built-in magnets like MagSafe like accessories.
Funny enough, the S25 series is one of the few Android phones that supports Qi 2.0.0 or higher along with HMD Skyline. Most Android phones including the recent ones are using the older Qi 1.3.3 standard.
What Does Qi 2.1 Mean for Users?
Samsung is moving to Qi 2.1 which may not give immediate benefits but will prepare for future updates. This new version of the Qi standard was announced at CES 2025 and it has an innovation called “Qi2 Ready”. This allows manufacturers to move magnets from inside the phone to external accessories like cases instead of built-in magnetic components.
In short, while the S25 series doesn’t have built-in magnets, you can still get the benefits of these new Qi2 and MagSafe cases by using an official magnet-equipped case from Samsung or third-party manufacturers.
Samsung didn’t increase the wireless charging speed despite the new Qi standard. According to WPC, S25 series can only do 15W wireless charging which is the same as previous Samsung flagships.
No Boost in Charging Speed
You won’t get faster charging speed even with the magnetic alignment of Qi2 accessories. The limitation is not just Samsung’, Apple’s iPhone 16 series is listed to have 15W max wireless charging speed but can go up to 25W using certain accessories.
Samsung had listed multiple magnetic wireless charging accessories on their website which are now removed. None of those accessories mentioned 25W wireless charging support for S25 series so users are wondering if faster charging speed is still possible in the future.
Is Qi 2.1 Worth It?
While S25 series is the first to have Qi 2.1, real world benefits of this tech is limited for now. Samsung is going for accessory compatibility rather than faster charging.
For those who often use wireless charging and MagSafe like accessories, official Samsung magnet cases might be useful. But for those who are waiting for faster charging speed in wireless charging might be disappointed.
Only time will tell if Samsung will bring faster charging speed through software updates or new accessories as the industry moves to Qi2 and beyond. Until then, S25’s Qi 2.1 is more about future proofing than immediate performance gain.