The Galaxy S25 series is still missing this one charging feature

Summary

The Galaxy S25 series offers incremental upgrades from the S24 series but still lacks full Qi2 magnetic charging support.
The Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra are “Qi2 Ready” which requires a Qi2-certified case to fully meet the WPC’s compatibility requirements.
To put it simply: the Galaxy S25 series can charge up to 15 watts wirelessly, but lacks a magnet inside the phone required for Qi2 certification.

Samsung fully unveiled the Galaxy S25 series recently at its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, California. The Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra all offer incremental upgrades over their predecessors and new Galaxy AI features. However, one feature is absent: full Qi2 magnetic charging support.

With its new lineup of flagship smartphones, Samsung has once again omitted putting magnets in its phones. Instead, as a workaround, the Galaxy S25 series is “Qi2 Ready.” This means the new phones only support Qi2 charging and Qi2 accessories via supported magnetic cases. Samsung reportedly excluded magnets from the S25 series because they were affecting the display and the S25 Ultra’s S Pen.

Samsung Galaxy S25

The base model of Samsung’s flagship smartphone lineup for 2025, the S25 features the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, a 6.2-inch display panel, and a triple camera array.

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What is Qi2 Ready?

The WPC announced it as an extension to Qi2 at CES 2025

Qi2 is a charging standard released by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which Samsung and other tech giants like Google and Apple are a part of. The Galaxy S25 series can charge up to 15 watts wirelessly, which meets the WPC’s standard for Qi2, but without a magnet, it can’t get full Qi2 certification. Earlier this year at CES 2025, the WPC announced new “extensions” to the Qi2 ecosystem, one of which is called Qi2 Ready.

“The growth of the Qi2 ecosystem will continue with the introduction of Qi2 Ready certified devices.” The WPC said in a press release. “These devices — smartphones and accessories such as cases — deliver the full Qi2 user experience when paired together in approved combinations.”

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In simple terms, Qi2 Ready means a device that supports Qi2 magnetic charging when paired with a case with a magnet. You can use Qi2 peripherals with the Galaxy S25 series, but you’ll need a Qi2-certified case on the phone. Samsung showed off several first-party cases at Unpacked, and third-party Qi2 cases will also be available from companies like Spigen.

It’s disappointing that the Galaxy S25 series does not fully support Qi2 charging on its own. The phones are already a minor upgrade from last year, so full Qi2 support instead of Qi2 Ready would’ve been a welcome addition. Unfortunately, if you’re a fan of running your phone caseless, you’re out of luck with Qi2 magnetic charging support on the Galaxy S25 series.