No Qi2 on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra? No buy!
Samsung just killed my excitement for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The rumor broke out recently that one of the few potential upgrades that were scheduled to hit the Galaxy S26 Ultra––full-fledged Qi2 support with built-in magnets–– might not come to the device at all.
This makes the already short list of potential upgrades even shorter, and nearly kills off my whole excitement about the flagship phone entirely.
Although Samsung has been enjoying steady sales of its Galaxy Ultra phones, which are usually the only ones to be in the top 10 best-selling phones worldwide aside from the affordable Galaxy A series, Samsung's flagships have been consistently dropping the ball in terms of innovation for years now.
We get these iterative Galaxy flagships that only ever change the sanitary minimum in order to pass as notable releases, and Samsung is now very openly laying on old laurels.
No Qi2 on deck is the straw that broke the camel's back
One of the outstanding quality-of-life usability features that the iPhone has had for more than half a decade now is MagSafe, and as a regular user, it's one of those features that are hard to abandon once you get hooked.
The rich ecosystem as well as the versatility and usability of the MagSafe magnets at the back of the iPhone were a genius feature that quickly became a fan-favorite, myself included. Over the years, I've gathered more than a dozen MagSafe accessories, and I'm certain most iPhone users have at least one MagSafe accessory in their daily rotation. That's why I was so excited about Google's Qi2-powered Pixelsnap system, which meant that we finally have a MagSafe alternative on Android that's actually here.
The lack of Qi2 on the Galaxy S26 series and the Ultra in particular doesn't mean you won't be able to put a compatible case and attach any magnetic accessories to your phone. That's a legit solution to the problem, but it means you will need to rely on either Samsung's official case lineup of a compatible third-party case.
What if I don't want to use a case? Tough luck then, as the lack of Qi2 adoption means no embedded magnets inside. That's no fun, and Samsung should know that.
If any company can overcome the technical or economic hurdles of putting a couple of strong magnets at the rear of its phones, that's Samsung. Apple has been doing it for years and Google's latest Pixels proved that you aren't losing anything by adopting the full scope of the Qi2 standard.
So why is Samsung so stubborn then?
Samsung's "sidegrading" is starting to get old
I have to be honest, I am, or at least have been, partial to Samsung's products.
My first proper smartphone that I bought with my own earned money was a Samsung. My second smartphone? Also a Samsung. One UI is also one of my favorite custom Android skins, with pretty much unrivaled personalization and customization. I also love that it's not yet another Liquid Glass but still retains some form of visual uniqueness.
All of that goes to show that I'm not praying for the downfall of the company, I'm just criticizing them from the perspective of someone who has been and still is quite invested in Samsung's
That said, the hardware improvements have been lackluster for the past few Galaxy S Ultra generations. Don't let the design changes fool you––there's very little separating Samsung's best phones on the inside.
The camera? Decent, but Samsung could quickly see itself become a follower rather than a leader in this essential category.
The battery? Don't get me started on the 5,000 mAh battery that's likely coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which would be the sixth year in a row that Samsung has decided against giving us a major battery upgrade. Meanwhile, the competition has been on a roll with batteries that would soon break through the 8,000 mAh barrier; even the iPhone Pro Max models now have larger batteries than the Galaxy flagship.
Follow us on Google News
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: