The Pixel 9 phones don't support Qi2 charging, and Google told us why (Update: Google statement)

Update, August 19, 2024 (02:45 PM ET): Secure, magnetic attachment may be one of the most exciting features of Qi2, but it turns out that the presence of that magnetic ring isn’t capital-r required for a phone to support the Qi2 standard. A spokesperson from Google reached out to us to clarify the nature of the Pixel 9’s wireless charging support, explaining, “both [the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro] work with Qi1 and Qi2 chargers for wireless charging, but Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro do not have magnets built-in for magnetic attachment.” If Pixel 9 owners prefer the simplicity of automatic magnetic alignment, Google points out that they can always use their phone with a case that includes magnets.

Original article, August 14, 2024 (08:00 AM ET): If I had a penny for every Android flagship I expected to ship with Qi2 wireless charging only to be disappointed with first-generation Qi, I’d have — well — a few pennies.

Ever since the Qi2 spec was finalized and launched in late 2023, I’ve been champing at the bit, waiting for it to be built into my favorite Android phone series. First, the Pixel 8 launched without Qi2, and I forgave it because it was probably too last-minute for Google to change its years-in-the-making hardware. Then, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series followed, still without Qi2. Other flagships and midrange phones from OnePlus, OPPO, vivo, realme, Nothing, and others launched too, all of them without Qi2. Last month, the latest Samsung Galaxy Z foldables made their debut, and you guessed it: no Qi2 either.

And now, as the new Google Pixel 9 series was made official, I scoured the specs page looking for wireless charging details. Surely, I thought, it should pack in Qi2. The technology was announced in early 2023 and likely shared with phone manufacturers before that — that is enough time to adopt it in late 2024 hardware!

But… sad trombone moment: The Pixel 9 series, including the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, all charge wirelessly over the older Qi protocol. That means speeds that don’t go above 10W and no magnets. And we all know that no magnets means you can’t attach any of the cool MagSafe accessories to the Pixel 9 phones unless you stick an ugly adapter on them. So, no magnetic tripods, wallets, PopSockets, flashlights, or portable batteries.

As someone who absolutely loves the power and simplicity of magnets, I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that not adopting Qi2 is a loss for every Pixel 9 owner’s user experience. It restricts their phone’s wireless charging speed down to 10W instead of 15W, and it limits what accessories they can snap on without a second thought. For instance, I would’ve loved to snap a magnetic grip on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to help me hold its weight, but alas, I can’t do that without sticking something semi-permanent to the back of the phone.

We asked Google about the decision to skip Qi2, and the answer, paraphrased, was that the older Qi protocol was more readily available on the market and that there are no tangible benefits to switching to Qi2.

I deplore your shortsightedness, Google.

Here is tangible benefit number one:

And tangible benefit number two:

And a third tangible benefit:

And a fourth one:

Need I go on? This is just from my own small collection of MagSafe accessories that should be compatible with Qi2’s magnet array.

Plus, Qi2 chargers have been launching left, right, and center for months now from many well-known brands like Belkin, Anker, Mophie, Scosche, Ugreen, and ESR. The first Android phone with Qi2 has already launched, too, courtesy of an unlikely candidate — HMD.

So yes, while the adoption rate might be slow now, we all know it will quickly snowball. Soon, Qi2 will be the norm among many new Android phones, and instead of using its late-in-the-year launch cycle to its advantage to skip ahead of the competition, Google will be one step behind for many months until, inevitably (hopefully), the Pixel 10 adopts Qi2.

I’m not angry, Googz; I’m just disappointed.

And a little angry, too.