Quick answer:
No, like most Android phones, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold does not come with Qi2 support.
No Thanks, Keep Reading
Foldable phones have come a long way over the past couple of years and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is easily one of the best foldable phones you can find today. Thanks to its beautiful display, great performance, and solid camera system, it’s also one of the best Android devices currently available.
While it’s easy to think that such a great device should include all the bells and whistles, especially at this price, it’s not exactly that simple. There are a variety of factors that can cause a manufacturer to skip a particular feature set, and that’s no different from Google’s decision with its latest and greatest foldable.
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Does the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold support Qi2?
It’s not in the cards just yet
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold supports the original Qi wireless standard, but it’s unfortunately lacking the newer Qi2 standard. There are a variety of potential reasons for this, including cost, but the likely reason comes down to timing.
When Google announced the Pixel 9 series in August 2024, the device’s hardware was likely set by the time Qi2 was announced in 2023. While there was some hope that manufacturers would be able to get the latest standard into their devices, the reality of it painted a very different story, and for good reasons. Manufacturers have to develop and plan their devices long in advance, which doesn’t always allow for the newest capabilities to be incorporated.
Unless Google worked with the Wireless Power Consortium to get the Qi2 standard into the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it was likely too late to incorporate it into the device by the time it was announced. There could be alternative reasons, such as cost savings, but with the lack of Android devices that support the Qi2 standard, it just makes sense that the timing doesn’t line up.
What is Qi2?
Like the original Qi standard, but better
If your device charges wirelessly, it is likely using the original Qi charging standard. The original Qi approach was a solid first attempt, but the Qi2 standard looks to improve wireless charging in a couple of key areas.
Lining up wireless charging coils sounds easy enough, but doing so in practice could be a bit annoying. If you don’t have an indicator showing where the charging coils are for your particular device, it could prove difficult to get them perfectly aligned. If you don’t get the coils perfectly aligned, it could cause the charging speed to drop significantly or generate unwanted heat.
The Qi2 standard looks to fix that shortcoming by incorporating magnets around the coils, which does wonders to align the coils on just about any Qi2-capable charger. It takes the guesswork out of where to place your device on the charger. It also supports faster theoretical charging speeds. I say theoretically, because at launch the Qi2 standard supports the same 15W as the original Qi standard, but faster speeds are possible down the road.
Qi2 also offers stricter quality control over the Qi standard, with manufacturers having to undergo a certification process to become Qi2 certified. The final benefit is with third-party accessories. In addition to charging, there are a variety of accessories that can take advantage of the magnets to attach various accessories to the back of your device, including wallets and pop-sockets.
What devices support Qi2?
It would be easy to think that many of the higher-end Android devices, like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, offer Qi2 charging, but that simply isn’t the case. The reality of the situation is that virtually no Android manufacturer offers the Qi2 standard on their devices.
At the time of writing, the only Android device that supports Qi2 charging isn’t a high-end Android device, but the midrange HMD Skyline. Outside this single device, if you want a Qi2 phone, you’ll have to look at the other side of the fence.
It only makes sense that Apple would have Qi2 support in its devices as the company helped develop the standard. As a result, every device since 2020, minus the iPhone SE, offers Qi2 support. This includes everything from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 16 Pro.
This may be frustrating to Android users, but the sad truth is that Android manufacturers just haven’t jumped on the Qi2 standard for one reason or another. Hopefully, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup changes that narrative, but only time will tell if Android devices will embrace the new Qi2 standard.
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Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is not only one of the best foldable phones on the market, but it’s easily one of the best Android devices available. With a gorgeous display, solid performance, and a great camera system, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold leaves little to be desired.
