- Definition
- Qi2 is the second generation of the Wireless Power Consortium's wireless charging specification, which adds a magnetic attachment profile so that a transmitter and receiver align mechanically before power transfer begins.
This page defines the term. For what it means in practice, see Qi2 explained: what the magnetic profile changes in practice.
What changed
Qi2 keeps the inductive charging that Qi established and adds a mechanical alignment system: magnets in the transmitter and receiver hold the device in the correct position. That sounds like a convenience feature. It is mostly an efficiency and thermal feature.
When a coil is misaligned, coupling efficiency falls and the energy that does not transfer becomes heat in the wrong places. Fixing the geometry fixes the problem at its source, which is why the higher power levels in later Qi2 revisions became practical at all.
A family, not a single profile
Qi2 carries the original inductive profile forward alongside the new magnetic one, and the two are defined separately. A product can be certified against either: a charger certified against the baseline profile is a Qi2 product, it is simply not a magnetically aligned one.
That is why "Qi2" on its own does not tell you which profile is implemented, and why a device supporting only one will not charge on a transmitter supporting only the other.
The specification has been revised since its first release in 2023, and the revisions are cumulative — a product certified against an earlier revision is not certified against a later one.