Samsung’s next big phones are leaking in a way that feels half-upgrade, half-compromise. New Wireless Power Consortium listings linked to three masked Samsung model numbers suggest the Galaxy S26 trio will support the Qi 2.2.1 wireless-charging standard — the same modern spec used by recent Pixel and iPhone models — but crucially they appear to ship without built-in Qi2 magnets.
That combination matters. Qi 2.2.1 is the first Qi revision to officially support speeds beyond the old 15W ceiling, and the WPC entries (filed under placeholder IDs SM-K772, SM-K777 and SM-K778) point toward faster wireless charging in the 20–25W range that rumors have floated. Yet the certification also lists the Base Power Profile (BPP) rather than the Magnetic Power Profile (MPP): a pretty clear sign Samsung is skipping internal magnets and will instead rely on magnet-equipped cases to attach accessories.
Why skip magnets? The S Pen factor — and tradeoffs
There’s been chatter for weeks that the S26 Ultra’s built-in S Pen and its digitizer hardware make adding a ring of Qi2 magnets tricky, if not impossible, without redesigning the phone’s internals. Commentary from insiders and community threads has suggested the stylus hardware could be the reason Samsung is choosing to keep magnets in the case rather than the chassis. That view lines up with the recurring rumor that the Ultra will keep the S Pen slot — and Samsung appears to value that feature enough to accept some magnet-related compromises.
From a user perspective, that’s a real trade. Many people love how Pixel and iPhone magnet arrays make attaching chargers, wallets and power banks effortless. Others, particularly longtime Galaxy Ultra buyers, prize the S Pen and its productivity perks. Some of the debate even shows up in community polls and comment sections: a nontrivial group says they rarely use the stylus and would swap it for magnets and slightly different hardware choices.
Faster wireless charging, despite the magnet absence
Even without internal magnets, the S26 series seems set to take a meaningful step on charging speed. The Qi 2.2.1 certification used by these leaks is the same profile that lets phones push beyond 15W wirelessly — and multiple leaks have suggested Samsung will aim for roughly 20W on the S26 and S26+, and as much as 25W on the S26 Ultra. That would be the first substantial wireless-speed jump in Samsung’s standard S lineup since the S10 era.
Samsung isn’t leaving accessory support empty-handed: reports indicate the company has built its own Qi2.2-compatible puck (complete with a nylon-braided cable in early images), and third-party Qi2 adapters and cases are already cropping up in listings. If you’re shopping for a puck or case, you can check the latest price.
What this means for the Galaxy ecosystem
There’s a subtle business angle here. Pushing a faster wireless spec while moving magnet functionality into cases preserves accessory sales — Samsung and partners still need to sell those magnetized cases and docks. It also gives Samsung breathing room to keep the S Pen where it matters to a portion of its user base. The decision reflects product priorities as much as technical limits.
Expect some frustration among people who wanted native Qi2 magnet convenience straight out of the box; expect others to shrug if the phones genuinely deliver better wireless speeds and keep the S Pen experience intact. Either way, this era of incremental hardware shifts is part of a larger pattern around Samsung’s yearly refreshes — changes that are often modest and tactical rather than sweeping. For a wider look at how the S26 family is shaping up across design, cameras and chips, our earlier preview goes into detail on the tradeoffs Samsung is balancing in the S26 preview.
Samsung’s hardware playbook has been broadening beyond phones, too. The company’s simultaneous push into other device categories — like its XR plans — shows it’s managing multiple ecosystems and accessories at once, which helps explain choices that sometimes favor modular add-ons over all-in-one hardware changes [/news/samsung-galaxy-xr-global-rollout]. And on the standards front, Samsung keeps competing on formats and features (see its media-format efforts) as part of a wider platform strategy [/news/samsung-hdr10-plus-advanced].
So: faster wireless charging is likely coming, magnets probably aren’t — at least not built into the bare phone. Samsung’s February 25 launch should settle the last details, but these leaks sketch a clear picture: the company is juggling the S Pen, accessory revenue and incremental performance gains, and that balancing act is shaping how the S26 will feel in the hand — and on the MagSafe table.