When Apple released MagSafe on its iPhones, I thought, “That's a gimmick, I don't need that.” I'll admit that years later, I've certainly changed my tune, and I realize how versatile a magnetic ring built into the back of your smartphone can be. The Qi2 standard was meant to bring that to Android, but OEMs have been sluggish.
It seems that patent issues make it a little harder for Android manufacturers to implement their own takes on MagSafe technology. However, it seems that through the magic of magnetic cases, OnePlus might be able to circumvent this and bring magnetic accessories to its devices.
OnePlus' Parent Company Is Planning To Build An Ecosystem Of Magnetic Phone Accessories
Imagine a world where you can drop your phone on its wireless charger without needing to worry about perfectly aligning it since it just snaps into place. Imagine a world where a power bank can latch to the back of your phone instead of being linked with a long cable and grip strength. Imagine a world where you don't need to put your phone into a tripod vice and it can just be held in place with the wonder of magnets?
We live in that world already, since that's what Apple's MagSafe and the universal Qi2 standard bring to the table. The only problem is that, for Android users, implementation is sparse. There's only one Android phone with Qi2 support at the moment, the HMD Skyline, and it seems patent issues push more Android OEMs away from putting magnets in their devices.
Insistent on not paying any licensing fees, the Ouga group, the parent company of OnePlus, Oppo, and Realme, is working on an ecosystem of magnetic accessories founded on cases with magnets, instead of the phone. We've seen these cases before, but this might be the first first-party take I've seen. This comes courtesy of Digital Chat Station, so it is probably true.
This could be very exciting and it seems one accessory that is planned will be some kind of heat-dissipation device that sticks to the back of your phone. I'd also expect first-party wireless chargers too. OnePlus and Oppo seem to be holding out hope that this alternative will make it easier for iPhone users to switch camps if they want to.
We Thought Qi2 Would Be The Answer; Apparently Magnets Aren't Mandatory For Qi2 Certification
Qi2 was meant to make things easy for us Android lovers. It's been available for some time but Android makers have been very slow to adopt it. The major thing that's meant to make Qi2 appealing is that it is meant to be an analog to MagSafe and provide wireless charging and magnets in the same smartphone.
However, it has recently become clear that a phone can actually be Qi2 certified without having magnets in it. Apparently that's not considered a necessary part of the standard, and to say I'm disappointed is an understatement. It means that even when phones decide to make Qi2 standard, it might not bring that magnetic magic we've been holding our breath for.
