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GeekyBearlast Wednesday at 4:55 PM3 repliesview on HN

> No MagSafe, only Qi.

Qi2 is based on Magsafe.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/3/23538131/qi2-wireless-char...


Replies

layer8last Wednesday at 4:58 PM

I know, but the official specs and comparison page explicitly only say Qi (with 7.5 W) for the 16e where they say MagSafe and Qi2 (with 25 W) for the iPhone 16. The comparison page is also lacking the MagSafe symbol for the 16e.

cptskippylast Wednesday at 6:26 PM

> Qi2 is based on Magsafe.

That's an insult to all of the engineering that went into Qi.

The Magsafe specification was an attempt to create the new Lightning connector ecosystem that backfired spectacularly and blew up in Apple's face. It's nothing more than magnets and DRM layered on top of a regular Qi charger.

Naturally Apple used the DRM to limit the charging speeds of their phones when paired with regular Qi chargers. There's a practical reason for this which is how Apple tried to justify their outrageous licensing fee to implement Magsafe.

Unfortunately for Apple, manufacturers mostly said no to Magsafe licensing and Apple's user based complained to Apple that their phones wouldn't charge at the rated speeds of the Qi chargers they bought.

This put Apple in an awkward position where they could tell their users to only buy MagSafe devices, compromise on safety to appease users, or give up on Magsafe being proprietary. Thankfully they chose the later.

Qi2 isn't Magsafe, Qi2 incorporated Magsafe because it improves the standard.

Don't let Apple marketing fool you into thinking Apple is doing this altruistically.

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dagmxlast Wednesday at 4:58 PM

Qi2 doesn’t require the magnetic component however.

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