The Apple iPhone 15 supports Qi2 wireless charging standard, but there's a catch

The Apple iPhone 15 supports Qi2 wireless charging standard, but there's a catch

The Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are the first phones to support the Qi2 wireless charging standard, but there is a catch. 

While Apple stated in its press release that the iPhone 15 lineup supports "future Qi2 wireless charging", it did not specify the charge rates the new iPhones will support on the new wireless charging standard.

The specifications page also did not mention anything about Qi2 except for the fact that the iPhone 15 models support MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W and Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W.

An email statement from Paul Golden, the marketing director for the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which developed the Qi2 standard, to The Verge, adds a little clarity to the situation:

I can tell you that no Qi2 products have been certified yet. The Qi2 specification has been finalized. We’re awaiting the certification testing equipment to be delivered, tested and verified.

While the Apple iPhone 15 models officially support Qi2, they are not certified yet. This could be the reason why Apple declined to share or reveal more information about Qi2 wireless charging support on the iPhone 15.

What about the recently-announced Qi2 chargers from third-party accessory brands? Are they compatible with the iPhone 15? A Belkin spokesperson reached out to The Verge and stated that the company has not yet tested the iPhone 15 lineup with its Qi2 product. However, Belkin expects "it should charge the iPhone 15 devices at up to 15W."

It remains to be seen whether the iPhone 15 models support Qi2 wireless charging of up to 15W. If they do, it means that Apple will allow Qi2 to co-exist and possibly compete against MagSafe. Will Apple instead opt to limit Qi2 wireless charging speed to 7.5W similar to other non-MagSafe technologies?

Golden says WPC aims to "soft launch" Qi2 in October with a full launch in November. Until then, we might not have the answer.

Source: The Verge