Qi2.2 wireless charging has been officially released, but domestic manufacturers don't seem to take a fancy to it.

I wonder how many of you readers here usually like to charge your phones with wireless charging?

The reason I'm bringing up this question is that I'm actually a big fan of wireless charging. Ever since wireless charging became a common feature in mobile phones, I've bought wireless chargers of various shapes and power ratings. The goal was to make the charging experience of all my phones as elegant as I imagined.

But what's the real - world situation like?

Even though it's called wireless charging, there's still an adapter and a power cord trailing behind the charger. If the coils aren't properly aligned, the phone won't charge at all. Moreover, there's very poor compatibility between the wireless fast - charging technologies of different brands. When you switch brands, the charging speed drops to around 10W - 20W, which always makes me hesitate before changing brands.

Has anyone thought about solving this problem? Yes, some friends have.

Recently, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) issued a press release announcing the official launch of the Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard. The version number is Qi v2.2.1, and the brand name is "Qi2 25W". It not only claims to be the industry's first standard to ensure consistent interoperability for high - speed wireless charging but also states that more than a dozen devices have passed the certification, and in the future, more manufacturers will be granted certification authorization.

(Image source: WPC)

For a long time, Apple's iPhone has almost dominated the magnetic wireless charging field. However, this situation may be completely reversed now.

Qi2 25W Lacks a Bit of Appeal

To understand the wireless fast - charging protocol Qi, we first need to get to know the organization that developed it - the WPC.

The full name of WPC is Wireless Power Consortium. It was founded on December 17, 2008, and is the world's first standardization organization dedicated to promoting wireless charging technology.

As wireless charging technology has evolved, when the Qi2 standard was released, the WPC took a major step: it incorporated Apple's MagSafe magnetic solution to form the official MPP (Magnetic Power Profile). It aimed to solve the pain points of "no charging without proper alignment" and "overheating and speed reduction without proper alignment" through magnetic force, hoping to attract Android manufacturers to join its ecosystem.

However, the problem is that the power of Qi 2 has always been strictly limited to 15W. According to the WPC, consumers have been calling for faster wireless charging speeds, so they decided: the power must be increased!

So, here comes the current Qi v2.2.1 version.

(Image source: WPC)

According to the specifications I checked on the official website, the core highlight of Qi2 25W is as its name suggests: it supports a maximum power output of 25W. Compared with the initial Qi2 specification released in November 2023 (with a maximum of 15W), the output power of the new specification has increased by nearly 67%. It is claimed that it can safely charge a smartphone to 50% in about 30 minutes.

Of course, readers who are used to domestic wireless fast - charging technologies won't be surprised by this speed.

So the WPC especially emphasizes that this is to create a unified, open, and high - speed new wireless charging ecosystem, allowing Android phones other than Apple's to use standardized magnetic fast - charging.

It is reported that the first batch of participants in the Qi2 25W camp includes not only Apple but also many accessory manufacturers. For example, Ugreen recently released the "first MagFlow certified by the official Qi 2.2 specification". Manufacturers such as Anker, Baseus, and Belkin also plan to launch chargers/power banks. The official says that hundreds of devices are waiting for testing.

(Image source: Ugreen)

Interestingly, although accessory manufacturers have been acting quickly, among the current mainstream mobile phone brands, except for Apple, which has obviously "upgraded" MagSafe charging to Qi2 25W, and the newly joined Google, all other mobile phone brands have very limited support for Qi2.

Taking the overseas market as an example, at present, the only mobile phone brand that "fully supports Qi2" is Apple (non - Chinese mainland models) and the HMD Skyline. Other manufacturers, such as Samsung's Galaxy S25 series, can only claim to be "Qi2 Ready", which means they need a magnetic phone case to achieve full functionality.

As for domestic manufacturers, Qi2 with magnetic alignment has received little attention at all.

Domestic Users Aren't Interested, and Qi2 Can't Enter the Market

Why is this the case?

There are many reasons, but the most important one is that this seemingly wonderful Qi2 25W is not only "unappealing" but also "unusable" for our domestic users.

The reason is simple: it's the same old frequency issue.

According to the "Interim Provisions on Radio Management of Wireless Charging (Power Transmission) Equipment" implemented on September 1st last year, the operating frequency of wireless charging equipment in our country must be within several specified frequency bands, such as 100 - 148.5kHz. However, the operating frequency of Qi2 and the latest Qi 2.2.1 is 360kHz, which is not within the permitted range.

In other words, no matter whether it's upgraded to 25W or 50W in the future, as long as the frequency remains unchanged, it can't enter the Chinese market.

(Image source: Qi Power)

As for the so - called new era of wireless charging, there's no way to talk about it.

Even if it could be used, would we really be interested?

To put it bluntly, unlike Apple, which is always outperformed by domestic manufacturers, the WPC's power updates seem more like an after - the - fact recognition of an old technology that we've already surpassed. While we're discussing how to popularize 80W wireless fast - charging, they're still cheering for a "major breakthrough" of 25W.

It's like we've already popularized high - speed trains, and they're still celebrating an increase in the speed of a slow - moving train from 80 km/h to 100 km/h.

(Image source: OPPO)

This "technological gap" is the fundamental reason why we're not interested in the Qi standard. In our view, whether it's 15W or 25W, it's all outdated technology. Instead of spending effort on compatibility, domestic manufacturers might as well continue to forge ahead on our own 80W track.

As for the "magnetic alignment" feature that Qi2 emphasizes, domestic manufacturers have already found solutions. In addition to the magnetic phone cases that have been popularized this year, manufacturers like OPPO have started to develop their own built - in magnetic solutions. A real magnetic ecosystem might be launched within this year.

By then, it's really hard to say who will follow whose ecosystem.

For Magnetic and Fast Charging, Look to Domestic Brands

Of course, this new standard has had an impact.

Its biggest impact is that it has put Apple in an even more awkward position. In the overseas market, users might expect future iPhones to support full - fledged Qi2 25W. But in our country, to comply with regulations, Apple has to "reluctantly cut back" and reduce the wireless charging power to 7.5W at a frequency of 127.7kHz.

What level is 7.5W? It might take more than 5 hours to charge a large - battery phone like the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The release of Qi2 25W hasn't bridged the gap. Instead, it's like a mirror, showing the huge difference in Apple's user experience in different global markets and highlighting the fact that our domestic standards are "far ahead".

(Image source: OPPO)

When Chinese users are used to charging their phones in half an hour, it's hard for them to go back to accepting an "international standard" that takes several hours.

Personally, I think domestic manufacturers don't need to be restricted by the Qi2 standard. Instead of discussing a 25W wireless "fast - charging" technology that we can't use, they might as well focus on the domestic market and see when our manufacturers can join forces to promote a wireless charging standard that better meets market needs with our existing technological accumulation.

In terms of technological reserves, domestic manufacturers have clearly accumulated a lot in the field of wireless charging. From the perspective of the industrial chain, domestic manufacturers already have the ability to establish their own wireless charging standards. Considering the wide application of wireless charging technology in smart home and Internet of Things devices, establishing a wireless charging alliance system centered around Chinese brands can even form a technological closed - loop for the technological development of related industries such as smart home.

To put it more straightforwardly, it's time for Chinese brands to decide the future development of the wireless charging industry.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Lei Technology" and is published by 36Kr with permission.