Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Nothing claimed developing magnetic wireless charging compatible with Qi2/MagSafe would cost over $10 million due to patents and other issues.
- The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), which owns the Qi2 standard, disputes this claim. Paid members can access the necessary specs and reasonable licensing terms, which would make the cost much lower.
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To recap, Nothing mocked up a dream phone for YouTuber MrWhoseTheBoss, one that would include Qi2 25W (also known as Qi 2.2) wireless charging for faster speeds, better efficiency, and Apple MagSafe compatibility. However, so far, only the HMD Skyline and the Google Pixel 10 series support Qi2 with magnets, and even within these, only the Pixel 10 Pro XL supports Qi2 25W.
So why haven’t other brands also adopted Qi2 with magnets yet? Nothing mentioned that it’s due to “legal red tape, industry politics, and a whole load of bullshit.” The company says that even though Qi2 is a wireless standard that anyone can use, the magnet configuration that “optimally supports Apple-compatible wireless chargers” is patented and restricted. To get around this, companies have to develop their own magnetic wireless charger, which has its own drawbacks and could cost over $10 million in R&D.
YouTuber TechAltar spoke to WPC (Wireless Power Consortium), the organization that owns the Qi2 standard, and this is what the WPC had to say about Nothing’s claims:
If Nothing was a WPC member, they would have access to the specs and favorable licensing terms under RAND. Knowing that Google, HMD, Samsung (plus others soon) already are using the magnets in phones or covers suggests that Nothing may not understand the situation.
In short, the WPC disagrees with Nothing’s assessment of the situation regarding magnets for wireless charging.
WPC members have access to the specs and favorable licensing terms under RAND (Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) terms. Do note that a regular WPC membership incurs an annual fee of $20,000, plus an additional ecosystem fee of at least $10,000 per year. While a regular member would still incur costs, they wouldn’t be as astronomical as developing their own magnet-based wireless charging standard or system.
There’s a chance that there may be some miscommunication in this entire exchange, and it doesn’t appear that Nothing is lying on purpose. Since the videos are made for entertainment, the people involved may not have had sufficient time to thoroughly investigate this situation and find a definitive yet concise answer. Nonetheless, you should take Nothing’s statement with a pinch of salt — companies don’t have to necessarily develop their own magnetic wireless charger, as they can feasibly pay for a license to use Qi2.
We’ve reached out to Nothing for a follow-up statement on this situation. We’ll update this article when we learn more.
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