This is important because while we MagSafe lovers have made do with MagSafe Android phone cases for the past few years, there’s always been a caveat that these cases might not work everyone MagSafe products. With Qi2 Ready cases, you can rest easy knowing they will work with Qi2 chargers.

It is worth noting that OnePlus’ latest flagship phone, the OnePlus 13, not A Qi2 Ready phone, however, OnePlus sells a magnetic case to make this possible Qi2-like load. It’s the old approach of adding magnetic charging to phones with basic Qi support, and that shall does not turn your phone into a Qi2 device. While it may feel similar, you may not enjoy faster charging speeds, it won’t be as energy efficient, and it’s not guaranteed to work with all Qi2 accessories. Golden says Qi2 Ready phones have “special features built in” to enable proper Qi2 functionality when paired with a Qi2 Ready case.

Alas, once you remove these Qi2 Ready cases from the phone, the magnetic functionality disappears. This may not be a problem for most people. Recent statistics are hard to find, but a 2023 YouGov survey found that about 68 percent of Americans use a phone box, and a 2017 study put that number at 79 percent. But it does stink for those of us who don’t like using a case. Throw one out for the trunkless devils.

I can remember dozens of times when I had to take off my iPhone case to connect a wireless microphone to the USB-C port or to fit the phone on a gimbal. Removing the case didn’t change anything because iPhones have magnets built in, but it’s something that shall impact Qi2 Ready phones, and this is a frustrating limitation.

I think Qi2 Ready phones are an acceptable in-between benchmark. Considering it’s cheaper than embedding magnets into a phone, I hope this means more budget and midrange smartphones can enjoy Qi2 capabilities.

Still, I worry that it will make things confusing for the average person. New phones will support Qi but not Qi2, but they will have Qi2 Ready cases to enable Qi2—my brain hurts just writing that. If only they had native Qi2 support, magnetic charging would work all the time with any Qi2 accessory. Easy peasy.

The good news is that Samsung and Google have committed to releasing official Qi2 Android phones in 2025, so it is down the road, though it feels odd that Samsung might not eventually debut it on its flagship smartphone lineup.

I’ll make do with a magnetic case (again), but for the love of God, can someone just give me my magnetic Android?