This Android phone has beaten Pixel 9 to MagSafe-like charging

Google’s Pixel 9 smartphone is closing in on its August 13 launch, but a new Android phone has beaten it to a feature Google’s flaghship was expected to debut.

The brand new HMD Skyline is the first Qi2 certified Android phone to arrive on the scene with the new charging standard.

The standard was revealed in earnest in 2023 and has Apple’s backing too, with Apple adapting MagSafe on the iPhone 15 range in September last year, but the Google Pixel 8 did not.

Qi2 is the product of the Wireless Power Consortium and uses a magnetic power profile which, like MagSafe, snaps to the back of the phone to ensure a secure connection.

In fact, Apple worked with the WPC to provide “the basis for the new Qi2 standard building on its MagSafe technology.” Usually, you have to find a sweet spot on a standard Qi charger, which is then subject to easy disturbance.

We’re still expecting the Pixel 9 range to include the Qi2 charging stanard, but until then the HMD Skyline is your option.

HMD, of course, is the company behind Nokia branded phones in recent years. More recently, it has struck out under its own name.

The Skyline is designed for users to be able to repair their phones themselves. “Pop off the back cover and you’re in. Then removing the screws and replacing the screen in a breeze,” the company says.

Elsewhere it is notable for a 48-hour battery that can last for 800 cycles before any deterioration in its capacity, a 6.5 144Hz pOLED display, and a Detox Mode to help reduce social media time.