The OnePlus 13 doesn't have Qi2, but I like AirVOOC better

Qi2 this, Qi2 that. For the better part of two years now, we’ve been hearing about how the Android answer to MagSafe will completely change wireless charging for the better. And, to a charging nerd like me, it sounds pretty good. Who wouldn’t want faster wireless charging speeds or charging pads that use magnets to line up for peak efficiency?

As it turns out, OnePlus wouldn’t want that. Well, at least not in a specific Qi2 sort of way. Instead, the OnePlus 13 is sticking to its in-house AirVOOC standard with a few purely optional MagSafe-like wrinkles, and I think it’s better for it. Here’s why.

AirVOOC is WAY faster than Qi2

In practically every way, Qi2 is an obvious upgrade over the original Qi charging standard. It’s generally twice as fast (15W vs 7.5W), uses magnets to align your device for the most efficient charging, and opens the door to far more accessories that are now Android-compatible. But what happens when the exciting new standard is significantly slower than the wireless charging that your device already supports? Well, that’s when you have to make a choice.

When OnePlus re-adopted wireless charging on the OnePlus 12, it did so with blistering 50W AirVOOC speeds. It made a flagship that could charge wirelessly faster than many of the best Android phones can charge wired, at least as long as you had the proper charging setup. So, for OnePlus to bend to the requirements of Qi2, it would have to downgrade its charging significantly. It would go from offering the fastest wireless charging in the US to thoroughly average in the name of securing a Qi2 certification.

And, if we know anything about OnePlus, it doesn’t usually care about certifications — even if that means shipping phones without IP ratings. So, it didn’t conform to the requirements of Qi2. Instead, it packed the OnePlus 13 with its in-house AirVOOC charging standard, choosing 50W wireless speeds to give it great battery life over adding an internal array of magnets — well, kind of.

Rather than put magnets into the phone itself, thus adding weight and a tiny bit of thickness, OnePlus decided to put its magnets everywhere else. It slid them into phone cases and padded them into a brand-new charger, creating a wireless charging setup that feels like the best of both worlds. Will you have to spend extra money to make your OnePlus 13 compatible with the new accessories? Sure, but for once, I don’t mind it.

Credit where it’s due

I like to give OnePlus a bit of schtick every time it does something weird. I’m happy to complain when it ships a phone with yet another USB-A charger (yes, that includes the OnePlus 13), but I’ll also acknowledge when OnePlus has a good idea. I was happy to write about just how good the camera and multitasking are on the OnePlus Open, and I still consider them among the best on foldable phones. So, credit where credit is due, I’m glad that OnePlus chose speed over certification.

Why? If you’re anything like me, you’d never use a OnePlus phone without a case. They’re too slim and slippery — even with flat displays instead of waterfall ones — for me to risk dropping one and shattering the display or scuffing the vegan leather back panel. So, as soon as I unboxed my OnePlus 13, I put it into a first-party aramid fiber case, complete with an internal ring of magnets. As such, it’s basically been MagSafe (or Qi2) compatible since the beginning. Could I remove that compatibility? Sure, but I don’t want to. So, in my eyes, it doesn’t matter that the magnets aren’t in the OnePlus 13 itself because I don’t see myself separating the two.

Of course, magnetic cases for Android phones aren’t new. Brands like Spigen and Mous have already offered them for a generation or two to make devices like the Pixel 9 and Galaxy S24 compatible with more accessories. However, they’ve never struck me as terribly practical, given that magnets mess with the S Pen in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and MagSafe accessories won’t charge Android phones at full speed anyway. So, for OnePlus to find a balance between magnetic convenience and AirVOOC speed, I have to give it some credit.

It’s not about copying Apple

Since I won’t be separating my OnePlus 13 from its case any time soon, I can admit that I love OnePlus’s new magnetic AirVOOC charger, too. Is it bigger, louder, and more obnoxious than any MagSafe accessory I’ve ever used? Of course it is, but that’s because it’s faster, too, which makes it one of the best wireless chargers I’ve used. It’s a 50W wireless charging jet engine that tries to cool your phone as quickly as it charges, making it feel more like a premium gaming accessory than a standard wireless charger.

And, when you look at it that way, it becomes a pretty neat little charger. As much as I would love to hate a wireless charger that makes noise and doesn’t sit flush on my table, the magnetic AirVOOC charger isn’t meant to be used that way. It’s not supposed to sit idly by while your phone gets back to a full charge. It’s a charger meant to be used while you keep using your phone, whether gaming or keeping up with the latest round of college football playoff games. So far, I’ve used mine in both situations, and I can’t help but appreciate it.

If you want a charger that sits flat on your table, though, this one isn’t an option. The red dot on the back is there specifically so it won’t sit flush, allowing air to keep flowing through the fan so it maintains faster speeds without boiling your phone like a Tensor G2 chipset running a graphics test. It also puts a little bit more of a barrier between yourself and getting things stuck in the exposed fan blades, though there’s still a slight risk of that.

Also, unlike Apple’s MagSafe accessories, there’s no right or wrong way to orient the magnetic AirVOOC charger. It uses a larger magnetic ring instead of a specific pattern of smaller magnets, so you can freely rotate it 360 degrees depending on what you’re doing with your phone. If I want to watch football or play something like Asphalt Legends Unite, I can push the USB-C cable off to the side or drop it right down the back of my phone for TikToks or vertical games like Pokemon TCG Pocket.

Ultimately, OnePlus probably pulled a lot of its magnetic inspiration from the Qi2 standard and Apple’s existing MagSafe setup. However, it’s not a perfect copy of either, and it’s faster than both, so I’m not going to argue with the need for speed. Oh, and yes, it will work with your friend’s iPhone, just not at MagSafe speeds.