Yesterday, Apple revealed that next week’s iOS 17.2 update will bring support for Qi2 wireless charging to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14. There were, however, some questions about whether older iPhones would be capable of unlocking 15 W charging speeds with Qi2. At least one accessory maker has now addressed those concerns.
The Verge spoke to Anker today and got confirmation that its MagGo accessories with Qi2 certification will support 15 W wireless charging on the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15. Older Qi products maxed out at 7.5 W wireless charging speeds.
Anker spokesperson Mary Woodbury confirmed in an email to The Verge that, unlike older Qi products that were limited to half-speed 7.5W charging with iPhones, the new MagGo products can support 15W charging, the same maximum rate you get with Apple’s MagSafe-branded gear. There’s also no word about support for the iPhone 12 series (or the iPhone 13 Mini, which maxes out at 12W even when paired with MagSafe chargers), which should have compatible hardware but may require their own software updates.
Furthermore, the Wireless Power Consortium confirmed to The Verge that “six brands of transmitters have already been certified.” This includes products from Belkin, Anker, BH-EVS, Shenzhen Chipvision Microelectronics, NuVolta, and Dongguan Aohai Technology.
My takeaway from all of this is that the pieces are finally starting to fall into place for Qi2 wireless charging – and it’s shaping up to be a big win for consumers. It sure looks like we’ll see a new wave of Qi2 accessories that are more affordable than MagSafe-certified accessories. Plus, all of those accessories will offer 15 W charging speeds, which was previously exclusive to MagSafe.
Now, we’re just waiting for the first Qi2 products to hit the market. And the WPC is confident that will happen before the end of the year.
