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 attach devices to compatible accessories. While Apple has offered MagSafe charging in iPhones since 2020’s iPhone 12 series, to date, no Android phones have offered a comparable setup.
That was supposed to change with the Qi2 wireless charging standard, which was initially meant 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 Samsung and Google’s next-generation phones will finally support Qi2 — in a way. The Galaxy S25 series will be Qi2 Ready, meaning it’ll offer faster wireless charging speeds and that Samsung will sell first-party cases that include magnets to attach the phones to MagSafe-style wireless chargers and docks.
So Qi2 is making slow progress in the smartphone space; we could see Android phones with built-in magnetic wireless charging in the next couple of years (and ideally sooner). But there’s a different type of device I think could benefit just as much from bona fide Qi2 integration: tablets.
The case for Qi2 in tablets
Google’s Pixel Tablet isn’t the first tab to come with a charging dock meant to give it utility while it’s not in use (the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 springs to mind), but it’s a relatively high-profile, recent example of the concept. In introducing the Pixel Tablet, Google explained the reasoning for the two-in-one form factor. For one, tablets tend to sit idle for days or weeks at a time, which often means that their batteries are dead when we need them. A stationary charging dock solves this. And while the tablet is docked, it might as well show useful info on its screen, hence the smart display functionality.
That reasoning really resonates with me. I’ve had plenty of tablets go to waste over the years, sitting unused in drawers or on shelves for weeks, only to be dead on the relatively rare occasion I want to sit down with a screen that’s bigger than my phone but smaller than my laptop. I’ve never gotten into the swing of regularly using any tablet, even ones I enjoyed.
So to me, a charging dock is an enormous upgrade to the tablet experience. Even though I’m not wild about the Pixel Tablet — its hardware feels cheap for how expensive the whole package is, and the speaker in its dock is mediocre at best — I’ve gotten more mileage out of it than any other tablet, simply because it’s always charged when I reach for it. When I’m finished with it, it goes right back on the dock to show pictures from my Google Photos library and recharge for the next time I want to poke 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, be it from Google, Samsung, OnePlus, or Apple. With an array of strong magnets and a wireless charging coil, a tablet could plop down on a dock like the ones already available for MagSafe-equipped iPhones (and Android phones with aftermarket magnetic cases). Standardization of the Qi2 spec means that any magnetic dock capable of supporting a tablet’s weight would be a viable option, eliminating the need for pricey proprietary solutions like Google’s $130 Charging Speaker Dock for the Pixel Tablet — third-party MagSafe docks abound, with great options available for $50 or less.
Software support would be up to individual manufacturers, but Google’s done most of that work for the Pixel Tablet, and Samsung already offers a feature on its tablets called Daily Board that turns your idle tab into “a decorative and informative screen” with features like image slideshows and various clock, calendar, and weather display options. Apple’s nearly there, too, with its StandBy feature that turns compatible iPhones into little Siri-powered smart displays when they’re parked on MagSafe charging docks.
Qi2 on tablets is a natural fit
The addition of magnetic wireless charging is such a natural progression for the tablet form factor that I’m confident it’ll happen eventually. There have been rumors floating around that Apple’s working on a MagSafe-compatible iPad since 2021, though nothing to that end has materialized yet. It just makes so much sense: not only would MagSafe and Qi2 enable Pixel Tablet-style smart display functionality across a broader range of tablets, but it would also simplify accessories, eliminating the need for proprietary pin configurations for add-ons like keyboard cases.
I’m hopeful that Google in particular gets a Qi2-equipped Pixel Tablet to market sooner than later — the apparent cancelation of a less ambitious Pixel Tablet 2 could, theoretically, allow for that. Given Apple’s reportedly been working on it for years, though, my money is on a MagSafe iPad being the first mainstream option to offer magnetic wireless charging. Whoever makes it happen first might end up becoming my new tablet manufacturer of choice — so it’s time for Android OEMs to get a move on.
