I’ve spent the last several days recuperating and recovering from CES. It’s hard to escape out of there without some kind of illness — I feel pretty lucky that I just caught a simple cold — and that’s before you factor in the sheer exhaustion of the event. No matter how draining some of my days in Vegas were, I left feeling much more excited about the world of technology than I did going in. I’d expected to hear nothing but news about AI and AI-related gizmos during CES this year, and while that certainly did happen, I found myself pleased with just how many gadgets I found on the show floor.




Seriously. Compared to CES 2024, Taylor Kerns and myself found putting together AP’s list of award recipients like a park in the walk. Sure, gaming handheld docks and tiny, portable earbuds might not sound like the sort of game-changing innovation CES once offered, but these were real products with easy-to-understand goals. From keeping your e-book collection easy on the eyes with TCL’s NXTPAPER phone to Lenovo’s small, flagship-worthy gaming tablet, there was plenty to be excited about.

Android Police's Best of CES 2025 logo on a colorful background

Related

Best of CES 2025: Android Police’s awards for the world’s biggest tech show

The latest and greatest tech for 2025

2

One of the most promising announcements during the show wasn’t about hardware at all — or, at least, not about current hardware. On the eve of the Galaxy S25 announcement, both Samsung and Google confirmed their respective support for Qi2, the latest wireless charging standard from the Wireless Power Consortium. It’s a big step up from both companies’ 2024 output, where the possibility of MagSafe support was left up to third-party accessory makers like Peak Design.


Of course, accessories might still be involved. While it’s hard to speak to Google’s potential support with the Pixel 10, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 lineup is rumored to support Qi2 and MagSafe accessories through first-party cases, not through magnets built into the actual phones themselves. This would follow the lead of OnePlus, which built a MagSafe-friendly 50W wireless charger for its latest flagship, but opted to leave the magnets to an optional shell.

The OnePlus 13 with its Qi2 case and supported wireless charger.

To a certain extent, this approach makes sense. The bulk of smartphone users keep cases on their devices at all times, so rather than waste valuable internal space on something a small percentage of buyers would appreciate, you keep this feature exclusive to optional accessories. Of course, that approach practically guarantees only a small group of people will actually benefit from MagSafe support on the OnePlus 13 — and the S25 series, should it follow suit.


Personally, unless companies like OnePlus and Samsung are willing to bundle Qi2-ready cases in the box with their smartphones — and we know that’s not going to happen — I’d like to see every Android OEM adopt the Apple approach here. Build magnets into the phone’s chassis and your first-party cases; that way, everybody wins. I’m hoping that’s the approach Google takes with the Pixel 10, at least, though it’s going to take a while before we know what to expect with that phone.

So, with Qi2 support expanding in some way for future Android phones, I have to ask: Are you excited about the future of MagSafe? I’ve long been a fan of magnetic wireless charging — along with all of the various accessories that come with this tool — and after seeing loads of MagSafe-based products on the showfloor at CES, I have to say I’m that much more ready for new hardware. Of course, I’m just one person, so if you aren’t interested in Qi2 finally arriving on Android phones, feel free to sound off in the comments below.