Last year, Samsung skipped native Qi2 magnets in the Galaxy S25. Was it annoying? Damn right. But at least they were upfront about it from the start. This year with the Galaxy S26, the Qi2 magnets situation somehow managed to get even more frustrating.
Earlier leaks strongly suggested Samsung was finally building magnets directly into the Galaxy S26 phones. Samsung even developed a whole lineup of Qi2 accessories for the Galaxy S26, including a 25W magnetic wireless charger, a magnetic power bank with a 5,000mAh battery, and multiple styles of magnetic cases. Everything pointed to native Qi2 support.
But fresh leaks now claim Samsung won’t include Galaxy S26 Qi2 magnets in the phones after all. So now all those magnetic accessories Samsung developed become useless unless you buy one of their magnetic cases first.
That’s the problem. With Apple and Google, you can use your iPhone or Pixel 10 naked and still snap it onto magnetic chargers, power banks, and car mounts. With the Galaxy S26, you’ll need to buy Samsung’s magnetic cases just to use these accessories. The accessories themselves haven’t changed. However, Samsung moved the magnets from the phone into the cases, turning optional purchases into mandatory ones.
Except the phones themselves don’t support any of it without buying a case first.
Samsung built accessories you can’t actually use
Think about what Samsung’s asking customers to do here. You buy a Galaxy S26. Then you see Samsung’s shiny new magnetic charger or power bank. You end up buying one of those accessories. Then you find out it won’t work with your phone unless you also buy one of Samsung’s magnetic cases.
That’s a borderline shakedown right there.
Apple has had MagSafe in every iPhone since 2020. Google just put native Qi2 magnets in the entire Pixel 10 lineup, including the foldable. Both companies proved you can build magnets into flagship phones without sacrificing design or features. Now it seems like Samsung is the only major manufacturer still forcing customers to buy cases to unlock basic magnetic charging.
You could argue that “most people use cases anyway,” but that doesn’t hold up. Sure, plenty of people use cases. But that should be a choice for protection or style, not a mandatory “tax” to access wireless charging accessories. What about people who prefer their phones naked? What about those ultra-thin cases that don’t have room for magnet rings?
Samsung’s betting you’ll just accept this. They’re counting on customers not realizing the Galaxy S26 needs a special case until after they’ve already bought the phone and tried using Qi2 accessories. By then, you’re already committed. You’ll probably buy the case because you already spent money on the accessories and want to get the most out of your latest $1,000 “investment.”
The worst part is Samsung seemed to have plans for native Qi2 at some point. It wasn’t as if Samsung developed this many magnetic accessories by accident, right? Reports suggest Samsung scrapped the built-in magnets after redesigning the Galaxy S26 lineup following the iPhone 17 launch. But instead of canceling the accessories too, Samsung is reportedly planning to launch them alongside phones that can’t use them natively.
Samsung’s giving its competitors a free win
Now we’re stuck with Samsung selling magnetic chargers and power banks that only work if you buy their magnetic cases. Meanwhile, iPhone users and Pixel owners can use any Qi2 accessory without thinking twice. The irony is Samsung’s literally building the accessories that prove how useful native Qi2 magnets would be, while simultaneously refusing to put those magnets in the actual phones.
We’re not talking just about specs or features anymore. It’s now an issue that feels like Samsung is treating customers like an afterthought. Google figured out how to do native Qi2 on their first try with the Pixel 10. Samsung’s had years to watch Apple’s MagSafe ecosystem thrive. They clearly see there is a growing demand for it. It’s just that they won’t commit to doing it properly.
With the Galaxy S26 launch rumored for late February, Samsung still has time to surprise us. But based on these leaks, it looks like we’re getting another year of “Qi2 Ready” instead of actual Qi2 support. That’s a shame, because Samsung’s clearly capable of better.