iPhone 17's wireless charging upgrade is actually good news for Android phones — here's how

(Image credit: Apple)

Earlier this week, Apple confirmed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will support the new Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard (also known as Qi 25W). It turns out that Apple's MagSafe charger has had a similar upgrade (via MacRumors).

25W MagSafe charging isn't exactly new, since all four iPhone 16 models released last year support up to 25W speeds. The downside was that they could only reach those speeds with an Apple-approved MagSafe charger, rather than a generic Qi2 option. Similarly, those faster speeds were exclusive to iPhones — meaning the few Qi2.2 devices out there, like Pixel 10, couldn't take advantage.

The new changes should mark an end to both of these issues. The first being that iPhone 17 devices can now hit those same high charging speeds without an Apple-approved, MagSafe-branded charger. Likewise, phones that actually support Qi2.2, both now and in the future, will presumably be able to charge at the same 25W speeds with Apple's new charger.

In a weird twist, Apple may have just positioned itself as a valid supplier of wireless chargers for premium Android phones.

Qi2.2 is still very new, and the only Android phone that seems to support it right now is the Pixel 10 Pro XL. But that's going to change going forward, and in a weird twist, Apple may have just positioned itself as a valid supplier of wireless chargers for premium Android phones.

More so when you realize just how much some of the newly-released Qi2.2 chargers actually cost. Belkin, a longtime tenant in the Apple Store, sells a 2-in-1 Qi2.2 charger for $60. So the fact that Apple sells a basic 25W wireless charger for $39, the same price as Google's Qi 2.2 Pixelsnp charger, seems like a pretty good deal.

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Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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