Samsung still can’t get this charging feature right, although Google has led the way

Some smartphone features are easy to take for granted. Often these can seem like the smallest of features. But the simplest feature can completely change the way you use your phone. MagSafe is one such feature. Since its arrival on the iPhone 12 in 2020, MagSafe has become an essential feature of Apple smartphones. However, it wasn’t until the release of Qi2 in 2023 that Android phones really had a chance to start taking full advantage of magnetic alignment charging, as that’s when the Wireless Power Consortium officially endorsed Qi2 and marked it ready for widespread consumer adoption.

Although Qi2 is now fully approved and accepted, many Android brands still do not support all the features it offers. Instead, these devices are what manufacturers call “Qi2-ready,” which basically means they support the Qi2 standard, but don’t actually have magnets in the device itself. I knew this would be one of the quality of life hurdles I had to overcome when I moved from my iPhone 15 Pro Max to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, I expected Samsung to be one of the first Android manufacturers to fully adopt Qi2, especially as it has become the largest smartphone brand on the market. However, here we are in 2026, with Samsung’s latest flagship foldables now officially revealed, and I can’t help but notice that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 line is missing one key feature: proper magnetic Qi2 support.

Now I know what you might be thinking. MagSafe is cool, but is it really a feature you should care about as much as I do? Ultimately it will be a matter of opinion. However, my opinion on the matter is that yes, you should care, especially when a phone is going to cost you as much as a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are many reasons to buy a foldable beyond the Qi2 magnetic functionality. But if I’m going to spend this much on a new device, I expect it to have all the features that matter, and full Qi2 support is one of those features.

I can’t count how many times I’ve woken up after putting my phone on the charger at night to find that it wasn’t charging properly, or that it may have been out of whack enough that charging was cut off. It’s a constant point of discomfort without a magnetic charge, especially for someone like me who has cats. And even though I have a magnetic case for my S25 Ultra, it’s still not as useful as having the magnets in the phone itself, because it locks me specifically to that case, instead of allowing me to use my phone without a case or with an entirely different case. That’s a trade-off I shouldn’t have to make with a $2,000 phone.

Of course, I realize that I am just one person among billions. But even if you put my opinion aside, there’s no reason why Samsung can’t integrate magnets into its smartphones – yes, even its foldables. Sure, they might be thin, but they’re not so thin that the idea of ​​putting a bunch of Qi2 magnetic charging components in there should be impossible. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold did it. Although the Z Fold 8 Ultra is thinner than the 10 Pro Fold, there’s no reason why Samsung couldn’t have added a little thickness to bring magnets to its device.

Samsung seems committed to creating the thinnest devices possible in its quest to perfect its foldables, but a little extra thickness won’t stop people from buying the phones, especially when they’re already less than a millimeter from the Galaxy S series when closed, and much, much thinner when open. I have to give Samsung credit though. The fact that the company has adopted silicon-carbon batteries is a step in the right direction. There’s a lot of potential there for better, more reliable, higher capacity batteries, and I’m really sad that more manufacturers aren’t adopting this technology. However, if I had to choose between silicon-carbon and proper Qi2 support, the answer is clear to me. I’m going to have to charge my phone anyway, so I might as well have the easiest experience possible.