Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) announced the Qi2 wireless charging standard in January 2023 and released it in April of the same year. HMD Skyline is the first (and only) Android smartphone to have Qi2 support. While many expected Google’s Pixel 9 smartphones to have it too, that’s not the case.
The Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL support the old Qi standard. This means that while these phones can charge wirelessly up to 23W with the Pixel Stand, they can only go up to 12W with a compatible Qi-certified EPP wireless charger instead of the 15W supported by Qi2. No Qi2 also means you cannot use MagSafe-like magnetic accessories with the non-folding Pixel 9 phones.
Google Pixel 9 • Google Pixel 9 Pro • Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
The folks at Android Authority asked Google why they skipped Qi2 support on this Pixel 9 trio, and Google said that “the older Qi protocol was more readily available on the market and that there are no tangible benefits to switching to Qi2.”
The biggest benefit of Qi2 is improved charging rates and reduced energy loss, achieved through better alignment between chargers and devices. Here’s hoping the Pixel 10 series – and the upcoming flagships from other brands – will have Qi2 support. Until then, the HMD Skyline is the only option on the Android side. You can read our HMD Skyline review to learn more about it. We also have a video review attached below.
