OnePlus could cleverly offer magnetic accessories without a MagSafe phone

Palm was the first major smartphone brand to pair magnets with wireless charging in 2009, but Apple popularized the practice with MagSafe on its iPhones a few years ago. That puts magnets on the back of iPhones, facilitating faster wireless charging and allowing for the use of a variety of accessories. Now, it looks like OnePlus, OPPO, and Realme are also looking to get in on the magnetic action.

Serial leaker Digital Chat Station claims on Weibo that Ouga Group (essentially the parent company of OnePlus, OPPO, and Realme) has begun developing an ecosystem of phone accessories with magnets. The source claims that the phones cannot have “true magnetic wireless charging” due to patent restrictions. This is allegedly due to Apple’s patents on MagSafe.

Instead, brands are apparently working on phone cases with magnets and wireless charging support. The companies are also said to be working on other magnetic accessories, including cooling clips.

Digital Chat Station claims that future Ouga phones will offer these accessories, and that the goal is to encourage iPhone owners to upgrade. In other words, it sounds like the OnePlus 13 series and OPPO Find X8 could offer these add-ons.

MagSafe adapters have gained some popularity outside of Apple’s space, allowing Android phone owners to use a variety of accessories that magnetically attach to the back of their devices. These accessories include stands, power banks, MagSafe chargers, and more. Nevertheless, we hope Android OEMs find a way to integrate these magnets into their phones soon enough.

The news also comes after it was revealed that the Qi 2 wireless charging standard does not require magnets in a smartphone. Instead, it turns out that a device can earn Qi 2 certification even if it doesn’t have magnets.