Will the Samsung Galaxy S26 support Qi2 magnetic charging?

Is not having native Qi2 charging on the Galaxy S26 a deal-breaker?

Magnetic wireless charging using the Qi2 standard on Android phones has gotten trendy only this year, thanks to a lot of hype drummed up by companies like Samsung and Google. This is essentially the same tech that Apple introduced back in 2020 with the launch of the iPhone 12 series. Of course, charging speeds have gotten better since it debuted, but not all Qi2 phones are built the same.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 will most certainly support Qi2 charging, just like the S25 series, but we don't know if this implementation will be native. The Galaxy S25 supports the Qi 2.1.0 standard that lets it charge up to 15W wirelessly, but magnetic charging is only possible with a case. It's only the latest Qi 2.2 standard or Qi 25W that allows for a maximum charging rate of 25W. The Pixel 10 Pro XL is the only phone in the series to support this, while the rest of the Pixel 10 series support the older Qi 2.0 standard.

It's too early to tell what Qi2 standard will be used in the Galaxy S26; we can only hope it's the latest one that allows for much faster charging. Whether the magnets will be built in or not is still anyone's guess, but given the Pixel 10's support for magnetic charging, it seems likely. Still, if you plan on using a case with the Galaxy S26 anyway, then you can simply slap on a case to use with MagSafe accessories. If you're worried about the case adding extra bulk, we're sure there will be options for slim cases with Qi2 magnets as well.

One reason you might not want built-in magnets in the Galaxy S26 is the possibility of losing the reverse wireless charging feature. The Pixel 10 series had this feature removed due to the built-in magnets, although this isn't necessarily a rule, given how the HMD Skyline has both native Qi2 and reverse wireless charging.

Samsung seems to be mindful of what its users want, as it recently conducted a survey asking them if they'd be okay trading slimness for built-in Qi2 magnets. It's feedback like this that led them to remove Bluetooth functionality from the Galaxy S25 Ultra's S Pen since it found less than 1% of users actually used Air Actions. It's safe to say that if Samsung sees an overwhelming demand for built-in magnets, we might just see it on the Galaxy S26.

For more news and information on Samsung's Galaxy S26 phones, check out our Ultimate Guide.