(Credit: Eric Zeman)
SAN FRANCISCO—Last summer, Samsung explained that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 doesn't support magnetic wireless charging because there is no space inside the chassis to fit the magnets. But since the foldable is an engineering marvel and deliciously thin, it's somewhat easy to forgive Samsung's sin.
I can't say the same about the Galaxy S26, which I had a chance to check out in person at Samsung's Unpacked event. The company's 2026 flagship phones don't have this major feature that competitors offer across the board. Is this a big deal?
Wireless Charging vs. Magnetic Charging
Almost all phones priced over about $500 or $600 support wireless charging. (The iPhone 16e is a notable exception.) The Qi standard allows devices to replenish their batteries when placed on a charging pad. The trick is to line up the charging coil in your device with the one on the pad. If you accidentally bump your phone and misalign the coils, it might not charge.
To get around this, Apple added magnets to the iPhone 12 back in 2020 and called it MagSafe. The magnets do two things: First, they help you align the charging coil in your phone with the one in the pad. Second, they keep the phone in place while it charges. MagSafe solved two problems with one stone.
The Qi2 standard, the latest for wireless charging, includes magnets as part of the spec. Though Pixel phones had magnetic charging before last fall, Google rebranded the feature as Pixelsnap for the launch of the Pixel 10 series.
Both Apple and Google advertise their branded solutions as benefits of picking the iPhone or the Pixel.
Choosing Speed Over Convenience
Here's what the S26 series offers in terms of batteries and charging. Samsung said its customer research indicates that most users charge their phones twice a day. Once in the morning while getting ready for work, and again in the evening after returning home or before any evening plans. It chose to prioritize rapid charging over magnetic charging.
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(Credit: Eric Zeman)The Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra support wireless charging via Qi2, but don't have the Magnetic Power Profile part of the Qi2 standard.
The S26 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery that can charge at 60W via wire and 25W wirelessly. These are both improvements over the S25 Ultra. Samsung claims the phone can charge from 0% to 75% in 30 minutes when plugged into the appropriate charger. That's definitely quick, and more than enough power to get most people through their evening.
The S26+ isn't quite as quick. Its 4,900mAh battery can charge at 45W via wire and 20W wirelessly. The S26 dials it back even further, with a 4,300mAh battery that charges at 25W via wire and 15W via wireless. Samsung didn't provide expected charging times for these two phones.
Magnetic charging definitely falls under the umbrella of a "want" and not a "need" for many. It's crazy convenient, though, and provides some peace of mind: You know when your phone is charging properly, thanks to that sweet magnetic pull as you place it on the charger.
There is a way for you to get around this. Though Samsung didn't put magnets in the phones themselves, it did put magnets in its branded phone cases. If you must have one of the Galaxy S26 phones, you can add magnetic charging via the case (for an extra $60).
Fast charging is cool. I get that. Will people pick a Pixel over a Galaxy S26 over this missing feature? Probably not. It's a bummer, though, that one of the world's biggest phone makers couldn't add a popular feature to its most important phones.