What each name means
MagSafe is Apple's name for the magnetic wireless charging on the iPhone. It arrived with the iPhone 12 in 2020: a ring of magnets in the phone that pulls a charger into the same spot every time, so the coils line up and the charge stays steady instead of sliding off.
Qi2 is the wireless charging standard from the Wireless Power Consortium, the industry group behind the older Qi charging most phones already use. The Consortium announced it in early 2023, and its headline addition is that same magnetic ring. It calls the mechanism the Magnetic Power Profile, and describes its job as making sure phone and charger end up perfectly aligned. Apple had shipped the magnet ring three years earlier, and what Qi2 adds is that any brand can now certify a product against it.
That's the whole relationship: MagSafe is Apple's version, Qi2 is the version everyone else can use too.
Do they charge at different speeds?
This is the question most people are really asking, and the answer is no.
On an iPhone, a Qi2 charger and an Apple MagSafe charger reach the same ceiling, and Apple's own figures show it's the handset that fixes where that ceiling sits. Apple rates a MagSafe Charger at up to 15W on an iPhone 15 or earlier (12W on the 12 mini and 13 mini), and at up to 25W on the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max, paired with a 30W or greater adapter. Newest doesn't automatically mean fastest, though. Apple puts the iPhone Air at 20W, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro at 22.5W, and the iPhone 17e back down at 15W.
Qi2 runs to the same numbers, and Apple prints them side by side: the iPhone 17 spec sheet lists MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W on one line and Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W on the next. The Consortium launched Qi2 at 15W, and its Qi2 25W tier carries what it calls nearly 70 per cent more charging power on top of that.
Your actual speed comes from two places, then: the handset's own ceiling, and whether the adapter behind the pad can feed it. A 15W-class phone won't go quicker on a 25W charger, and a 25W-capable iPhone only gets there if the plug feeding the pad can supply it. The pad itself is rarely the thing holding you back.
Where the difference actually shows up
With speed settled, what's left is fit: which phones each one actually grips.
Here MagSafe is the narrower of the two. It works fully on an iPhone, and Apple's own cases and mounts are built around that exact fit, so accessories that match it are easy to find. Rest a MagSafe charger against an Android phone with no magnets of its own, though, and it drops back to ordinary, slower Qi with nothing holding it in place.
Qi2 casts wider. It brings the magnetic snap to any phone built to the standard, and it works on an iPhone just as happily. Very few Android phones actually carry the ring: Google's Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 ranges are the best-known that do, and Google's advice on them is that magnetic attachment works best with no case, or with a case designed for Qi2. For the rest, the Consortium added a Qi2 Ready tier in 2025, covering phones that only give you the full Qi2 experience paired with an approved case. Without either, an Android phone still charges. It just lies flat on the pad rather than snapping on.
Which should you buy?
For an iPhone, stop worrying about the label. A Qi2-certified charger and an Apple-branded MagSafe one behave the same, so choose on the things you can actually see. The shape, and whether it stands the phone up or lays it flat. What comes in the box, cable included. And the wall adapter you pair it with, because that's what sets your real speed. Our MagSafe power bank guide and MagSafe car charger guide pick specific ones on exactly those terms.
On Android the question changes shape. Check first whether your phone carries the magnet ring itself or only works magnetically with a case, because that decides whether you're buying a charger or a charger plus a case. Either way a Qi2 pad is the safer buy than an Apple-branded MagSafe one, which will still charge the phone but is built around a fit your handset may not have.
One trap is worth knowing before you spend. Plenty of cheap "magnetic" chargers aren't Qi2 underneath at all, and on an iPhone that costs you real speed: Apple's own guidance is that many Qi-certified chargers charge an iPhone at rates up to 7.5 watts, against the 15W a Qi2 pad reaches. A magnet ring is no promise of the faster figure, so look for the words "Qi2 certified". And remember the pad is only half the kit. You still supply the wall plug that feeds it, which our iPhone charger guide covers.
FAQ
Q: Is MagSafe faster than Qi2? A: No. On an iPhone the two hit the same ceilings, and Apple's own figures show the handset is what fixes them: up to 15W on an iPhone 15 or earlier and on the iPhone 17e, and up to 25W on the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max, and only with a 30W or greater adapter behind the pad. The name on the charger decides nothing.
Q: Will a Qi2 charger work with my iPhone? A: Yes. The magnet ring and the power profile are shared, so an iPhone 12 or later charges on a Qi2 pad the same way it does on an Apple MagSafe one.
Q: Does Qi2 work with Android phones? A: Yes, if the handset was built for it. Where it wasn't, a Qi2 pad still charges the phone at ordinary Qi speeds. What you lose is the alignment, and with it the cases and mounts that hang off the magnets.