How Xiaomi’s WPC Qi Plugfest Accelerates Chinese Wireless Charging into Global Standards

From June 22‑25, 2026, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) held its Qi Off‑cycle Meeting in Beijing at Xiaomi’s headquarters. The event, the first WPC Qi meeting in China, gathered more than 20 industry players to discuss, test and verify the upcoming Qi 50 W standard.

Qi Standard Overview

WPC, founded in 2008, manages the Qi wireless‑charging specification that has become the de‑facto language for smartphones and portable electronics. Over 13,000 Qi‑certified products are on the market. The standard has evolved from Qi 2.0 (15 W, released 2023) to Qi 2.2 (25 W, branded “Qi2 25W” in 2025) and is now drafting Qi 50 W, slated for release in 2028.

Structural Challenges for Domestic Solutions

Current Qi 2.x specifications impose strict coil inductance and layout constraints that clash with China’s “small‑inductance, low‑voltage, high‑power” designs used in diverse form‑factors such as foldable phones, automotive chargers and accessories. Because these domestic designs have already been mass‑produced and validated by billions of users, aligning them with the international standard would broaden global compatibility.

Two‑Year Push to Influence the Standard

Since late 2024 Xiaomi has submitted proposals for the “small‑inductance, low‑voltage, high‑power” approach. In 2025 the team demonstrated 25 W and 50 W demo units, proved cross‑vendor interoperability, and in Q1 2026 secured approval for the approach to enter the Qi drafting stage.

Meeting Agenda and Participants

The Beijing meeting focused on three core activities: detailed standard‑text discussion, prototype testing, and Plugfest‑style interoperability verification. More than 20 companies—including Anker, Apple, Google, Huawei, NXP, OPPO, Panasonic Automotive Systems, and the WPC itself—sent over 90 engineers to test hardware in a common environment.

Significance for the Industry

By embedding Chinese‑originated wireless‑charging architectures into the global Qi specification, the industry gains a higher market‑entry threshold, broader worldwide market access and stronger competitive positioning for Chinese chip, module and device manufacturers. The event demonstrates how standards work as the infrastructure that synchronises mechanical design, thermal management, power transfer, communication protocols and safety across multiple device categories.

Overall, Xiaomi’s role as host and its two‑year effort illustrate a concrete pathway for domestic technology to shape an international standard, paving the way for faster, safer and more universally compatible wireless‑charging experiences.