The vast majority of phones that currently have magnets to support Qi2 wireless charging are iPhone models. But one would expect that in a year where Google even replaced the optical fingerprint scanner with an ultrasonic one on the Pixel 9 range, we would see other upgrades, like the use of UFS 4.0 instead of UFS 3.1 and magnetic support for Qi2. If you want magnetic wireless charging on your Pixels 9 If you buy a handset in the series, you'll likely find a case that has a built-in magnet on the back.
Google told Android Authority that both the Pixels 9 and Pixel 9 Pro models “work with Qi1 and Qi2,” but do not have the magnets to easily align the coils. At the moment, the only Android phone The first smartphone to support Qi2 is the HMD Skyline, a mid-range model with Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 AP. Google is not alone among Android phone Manufacturers like Samsung, Nothing, OnePlus, OPPO, vivo, realme and others do not offer full Qi2 support.
The question is whether the Pixels 9 Line is Qi2 certified or not. Certainly, the use of the words “work with” instead of “support” indicates that the line does not have official Qi2 certification. So far, Android Authority has received confirmation that the regular Pixels 9 Model is not Qi2 certified.
Considering that there is some competition between Samsung, Google and other Android phone Manufacturer, you might think that Google wants to differentiate itself from the Galaxy S24 series. And even with its decision to imitate Apple by adding a smaller Pro model this year and renaming its largest display Pixels 9 Model (without the Pixel 9 Pro Fold), Google could have followed Apple's example and added magnets to its new phones.
Here are some interesting news. As the Pixels 9 Line, the new Samsung Galaxy Ring supports Qi2, but has no magnets. Of course, unlike the Pixels 9 handsets, there may be a good reason for this due to the size of the device.
Considering everyone except HMD has banned magnets from their new Android phones, this would have been a great opportunity for Google to raise the bar. Hopefully that changes next year.