A fresh leak around the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, expected to be officially unveiled on 25 February 2026, suggests one notable departure from the wireless charging strategy adopted by competitors like Apple’s MagSafe and Google’s Pixel devices: Samsung may not include built-in Qi2 magnetic alignment in the new flagship phones.
According to images and accessories database leaks, official Galaxy S26 cases — reportedly sourced from a reputable Dutch outlet — show magnetic rings only in select cases rather than integrated into the phone chassis itself. If the phones had native Qi2 magnetic arrays, all official protective cases would logically include support for these magnets; the fact they do not strongly suggests Samsung is opting out of native magnetic charging alignment for its flagship lineup.
This design choice would mark a divergence from Apple’s MagSafe ecosystem, which embeds magnets in the phone frame to facilitate precise alignment with chargers and accessories for faster and more efficient wireless power delivery. In contrast, Samsung appears to lean more on its existing Wireless Power Share feature — which allows the phone to wirelessly charge compatible accessories by reverse charging — and may decide that native magnetic alignment isn’t worth the internal trade-offs, especially given that magnetic arrays can interfere with reverse charging capabilities.
The Galaxy S26 lineup is still expected to deliver strong upgrades in performance, camera hardware, and potentially other areas like battery management and screen technology, even as the magnetic charging rumour raises eyebrows about Samsung’s strategic choices in the increasingly competitive flagship market. Official confirmation will likely come at the Unpacked event later this month.