The detail was buried deep within the specs of the new HMD Skyline smartphone.

Among all the information about the operating system, platform, audio, networks, sensors, security, dimensions, imaging and display was the section titled Battery & Charging.

Specs for the HMD Skyline.

The battery was a 4600mAh replaceable, with a life of up to 48 hours. And … it was Qi2 certified, with 15W magnetic wireless charging. 

While Google’s Pixel 9 smartphone – to be launched in mid-August – is tipped to become Qi2 certified, thus allowing 15W fast charging on wireless chargers, HMD and its Skyline have pipped the megacorp at the Android post.

MagSafe chargers set the standard in fast wireless charging for iPhones. MagSafe is a magnetic technology from Apple built into the internal engineering of iPhone 15/14/13/12 models. It allowed the iPhones to sense other MagSafe compatible accessories and snap firmly into place via magnets.

Screenshot from YouTube video on the new HMD Skyline, which is Qi2 compatible. Image: HMD.

Enter Qi. A product of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), Qi has been around for about 15 years. About a year ago Qi2 was unveiled, promising “improved energy efficiency, faster charging, and easier usability”. That meant upping the maximum charging power to match MagSafe at 15W.

It has become the new standard, with hundreds of manufacturers including Apple, Google, LG Electronics, Samsung and Sony working with Qi.

The WPC says “the Qi v2.0 standard will unify the wireless charging industry under one global standard, eliminating consumer confusion and enabling greater device interoperability”.

Qi2 products can be identified by a Qi2 logo on the device or packaging.

The HMD Skyline comes with a 108 MP camera with 4x zoom, and you can “pop the hood” and fix things such as a cracked screen yourself.