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I have not been quiet about the fact thatI want to see Qi2 wireless charging appear on Android phones.
Partly for the extra charging benefits coming with the new standard, but also because of the magnetic ring.
Now in comes theOnePlus 13, which offers magnetic wireless charging… of sorts.
Rather than offeringQi2, or building regular magnets into the phone, OnePlus has taken a different approach.
Its offering an official magnetic case, and a new AirVOCC magnetic wireless charger.
Its clearly trying to be like Qi2 without actually being Qi2 and it doesnt work.
OnePlus had the opportunity to make up for its past wireless charging transgressions with OnePlus 13.
But instead it botched things in the most OnePlus way imaginable.
Which are both very strange excuses.
The first OnePlus phone to actually feature wireless charging was theOnePlus 8 Pro, which launched in April 2020.
The following year both theOnePlus 9and9 Prooffered wireless charging capabilities, which stuck around for 2022sOnePlus 10 Pro.
Then 2023 rolled around and theOnePlus 11arrived with wired-only charging much to my own chagrin.
HMD already utilized it in the HMD Skyline, andSamsung is widely expected to offer Qi2in theGalaxy S25series.
So I figured Qi2 on a OnePlus flagship wouldnt happen for another couple of years.
Or at least, not until after all the other major Android phonemakers got onboard.
But imagine if OnePlus had included Qi2?
Of course that didnt actually happen.
In fact I’m very grateful that they are available.
Not to mention the fact that you’re able to remove and replace those accessories with minimal effort.
This allows users to reap the benefits, without having to necessarily purchase an iPhone.
There is a reason why these cases previously only came from third parties.
It looks incredibly weird that a phone maker would launch official magnetic cases of their own.
Its not as though magnetic cases for existing OnePlus phones are hard to come by.
If were going to have magnetic phones then the phones themselves should be magnetic.
Assuming that phone makers are willing to get off their butts and make it happen.
Which is so typical of OnePlus and its attitudes to wireless charging.
Bottom line
I wasnt expecting OnePlus to add Qi2 to the OnePlus 13.
Experience tells me that theres no point in expecting the company to adopt major wireless charging innovations quickly.
OnePlus can and should do better.
But until then, bring on the actual Qi2 phones.
Hopefully starting with the Galaxy S25.
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