OnePlus could cleverly offer magnetic accessories without a MagSafe phone

Palm was the first major smartphone brand to combine magnets with wireless charging back in 2009, but Apple popularized the practice with MagSafe on iPhones a few years ago. This sees magnets placed in the back of iPhones, facilitating faster wireless charging and enabling a host of accessories. Now, it sounds like OnePlus, OPPO, and Realme want to get in on the magnetic action too.

Serial leaker Digital Chat Station has claimed on Weibo that the Ouga group (effectively the parent company of OnePlus, OPPO, and Realme) has started developing an ecosystem of phone accessories with magnets. The source asserts that the phones can’t have “true magnetic wireless charging” due to patent restrictions. This is ostensibly due to Apple’s MagSafe patents.

Instead, the brands are apparently working on phone cases with magnets and wireless charging support. The companies are also tipped to be working on other magnetic accessories, including clips for cooling.

Digital Chat Station asserts that the next phones from the Ouga group will offer these accessories and that the aim is to entice iPhone owners to switch devices. In other words, it sounds like the OnePlus 13 and OPPO Find X8 series could offer these add-ons.

MagSafe adapters have gained some popularity outside the Apple space, allowing Android phone owners to use a variety of accessories that magnetically attach to the back of their devices. These accessories include tripods, power banks, MagSafe chargers, and more. Nevertheless, we hope Android OEMs can find a way to integrate these magnets into phones soon enough.

The news also comes after it emerged that the Qi 2 wireless charging standard doesn’t actually require magnets in a smartphone. Instead, it turns out that a device can get Qi 2 certification even if it doesn’t have magnets.