Nomad’s first Qi2 charger is shipping now for $10 less than its MagSafe model

By wazup on January 29, 2024 Comments Closed / 70 views

The ‘Stand,’ as its product page calls it, can charge Qi2-compatible devices like the iPhone 15 at up to 15W. It costs $100, but you’ll have to supply your own 20W charging brick.

By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.

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Nomad Stand with iPhone charging. — a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Nomad

Nomad’s Stand is the latest Qi2 charger to hit the market, offering up to 15W of wireless charging speed to Qi2-compatible phones like the iPhone 15. The accessory was announced in late December, but it’s now shipping in a choice of black or white for $100 from Nomad’s website.

It’s $100 price point makes the Stand $10 cheaper than Nomad’s equivalent MagSafe model, the Stand One, and offers the same “up to 15W” charging speeds and magnetic attachment compatibility as Apple’s MagSafe (Apple helped develop the Qi2 charging standard). The bad news is that Nomad’s $100 asking price doesn’t include the required 20W power adapter — you just get a USB-C to USB-C cable.

Nomad’s Stand in black with no iPhone charging.

a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Nomad

Nomad’s accessory is part of an initial wave of Qi2-compatible chargers, with companies like Belkin, Anker, Satechi, and Mophie all having either released or announced their own devices for the bedside, workspace, and car. And there are some more affordable competitors to Nomad’s Stand in that list. Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro convertible stand ships early next month for $59.99 (though it looks like you’ll also have to provide your own charging brick here), and Satechi’s 2-in-1 charging stand will come with a 45W power supply and cost $79.99 when it ships sometime in the second quarter of 2024.

Qi2 (properly Qi v2.0 MPP, for Magnetic Power Profile) is a new magnetic wireless charging standard that can charge compatible devices at up to 15W. Like Apple’s MagSafe, it uses rings of magnets in both device and charger to ensure proper alignment of the charging coils, and it’s based on the Qi wireless charging standard that’s used by nearly every device that offers wireless charging. In fact, Apple contributed the magnetic power profile technology to the new standard.

Unlike MagSafe, Qi2 isn’t proprietary. It’s administered by the Wireless Power Consortium, and although devices need to be Qi2-certified, they don’t require special Apple hardware or MFi certification, which means they’re less expensive to produce. As of iOS 17.2, the iPhone 13, 14, and 15 are Qi2-certified and can charge just as fast from a Qi2 charger as they can from a MagSafe-certified charger; on all other wireless chargers, iPhones are limited to 7.5W maximum.

Because Qi2 is an open standard, it can be integrated into Android phones and other devices. Most Android phones top out at around 10W with standard Qi chargers, though some (like Samsung Galaxy phones and Google Pixels) can charge faster with proprietary wireless charging stands. In the near future, households with Android and iPhones should be able to share the same magnetic chargers and accessories and get the same charge rates.