One of the iPhone’s enduring advantages over comparable Android devices is MagSafe, Apple’s proprietary wireless charging standard that allows for higher power throughput and the ability to magnetically connect devices to compatible accessories. While Apple has offered MagSafe charging on iPhones since 2020’s iPhone 12 series, to date no Android phone has offered a comparable setup.
This was supposed to change with the Qi2 wireless charging standard, which was initially supposed to be a more widespread version of what Apple offers in MagSafe. We’ve been hearing about Qi2 for a while now, and last week we learned that next-gen phones from Samsung and Google would finally support Qi2 – in some capacity. The Galaxy S25 series will be Qi2 readymeaning it will offer faster wireless charging speeds and Samsung will sell first-party cases that include magnets to attach phones to MagSafe-style wireless chargers and docks.
Qi2 is therefore progressing slowly in the field of smartphones; we could see Android phones with built-in magnetic wireless charging in the next few years (and ideally sooner). But I think there’s another type of device that could benefit just as much from true Qi2 integration: tablets.
The case of Qi2 in tablets
Google’s Pixel tablet isn’t the first tab to feature a charging dock intended to give it a use when not in use (the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 comes to mind), but this is a recent and relatively high-profile example of the concept. Introducing the Pixel tablet, Google explained the reasoning behind the two-in-one form factor. For one, tablets tend to sit unused for days or weeks, which often means their batteries are dead by the time we need them. A stationary charging station solves this problem. And while the tablet is docked, it might as well display useful information on its screen, hence the smart display feature.
This reasoning really touches me. I’ve wasted many tablets over the years, sitting unused in drawers or on shelves for weeks, only to die on the relatively rare occasions when I want to sit down with a screen bigger than my phone but smaller than my laptop. I never got into the habit of using a tablet regularly, even the ones I loved.
So, for me, a charging dock is a huge improvement to the tablet experience. While I’m not crazy about the Pixel tablet (its hardware seems cheap compared to the price of the package and its dock speaker is mediocre at best), I got more miles out of it than any other tablet, quite simply. because it’s always loaded when I grab it. When I’m done, it goes straight back to the dock to display images from my Google Photos library and recharge for the next time I want to look at a medium-sized screen for a few minutes.
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Qi2 has the potential to bring a similar experience to any compatible tablet, whether from Google, Samsung, OnePlus or Apple. With a set of powerful magnets and a wireless charging coil, a tablet could sit on a dock like those already available for MagSafe-equipped iPhones (and Android phones with aftermarket magnetic cases). Standardization of the Qi2 specification means that any magnetic dock capable of supporting the weight of a tablet would be a viable option, eliminating the need for expensive proprietary solutions such as the Charging Dock with Speaker Google at $130 for the Pixel tablet – third-party MagSafe docks abound, with excellent options available for $50 or less.
Software support would depend on each manufacturer, but Google did most of this work for the Pixel tablet, and Samsung already offers a feature on its tablets called Daily Board that turns your inactive tab into “a decorative and informative screen” with features such as image. slideshows and various clock, calendar and weather display options. Apple is almost there too, with its Sleep function which turns compatible iPhones into small smart displays powered by Siri when parked on MagSafe charging stations.
Qi2 on tablets is a natural choice
The addition of magnetic wireless charging is such a natural progression for the tablet form factor that I’m confident it will eventually happen. Rumors are circulating that Apple is working on a MagSafe compatible iPad since 2021although nothing to this end has yet materialized. This just makes sense: not only would MagSafe and Qi2 enable Pixel tablet-style smart display functionality on a wider range of tablets, but it would also simplify accessories, eliminating the need for proprietary pin configurations for add-ons such as keyboard cases.
I hope Google in particular releases a Qi2-equipped Pixel tablet sooner rather than later – the apparent cancellation of a less ambitious Pixel 2 tablet could, in theory, allow for this. Given that Apple has reportedly been working on this for years, my money is on an iPad MagSafe which is the first mainstream option to offer magnetic wireless charging. Whoever gets there first might end up becoming my new tablet maker of choice. So it’s time for Android manufacturers to move on.
