My car has a wireless phone charger. It’s tucked behind two cup holders that are almost always occupied and barely big enough for my already outdated iPhone. Getting the phone positioned just right takes some serious finagling—and even then, it rarely charges consistently (bonus points if you can guess what I drive in the comments).
Needless to say, I rarely use the wireless charging tray. I always keep a USB-C cable in the center console and plug my phone in manually. I’m willing to bet most owners do the same.
But it’s 2025—why is wireless charging in cars still such a headache? Why can’t you just set your phone down and know it’s charging? Technology has moved on. Society has moved on.
Automakers have tried to fix this. Some offer dedicated slots that hold phones upright, while others install massive charging trays under the touchscreen to fit every phone. Most of them are clunky. But Nissan has a clever solution that finally makes sense.
The Secret? Magnets
Nissan’s solution to fixing wireless charging is a pretty simple one: magnets. The 2026 Pathfinder and 2026 Murano are equipped with a new Qi2 wireless charger that features a raised magnetic circle. The circle allows you to put your phone down exactly where it needs to go—no fiddling, no finagling, just simple, easy placement.
The setup works with iPhones 12 and newer, Google Pixels 10 and newer, and any Android with a compatible case. The tray itself is located behind the shifter—still a mildly annoying place for a wireless charger—but it’s more than wide enough for nearly all modern smartphones.
"Proper alignment is critical when it comes to wireless charging," said Matt Zimmerman, a manager of Research and Development at the Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA). "Even a few millimeters can cause a big drop in performance. The magnetic puck helps ensure the phone is properly aligned to receive optimal charging—even with modern phones' large cameras."
'Proper alignment is critical when it comes to wireless charging... The magnetic puck helps ensure the phone is properly aligned to receive optimal charging—even with modern phones' large cameras.'
Another key element of Nissan’s Qi2 charger is improved cooling. The Qi2 is one of the first in-car wireless chargers with a fan, which keeps both the charger and the phone cool. If you’ve ever left your smartphone on a wireless charger for too long, you know just how warm it can get. A cooler phone also means quicker charging, which Nissan boasts with the Qi2.
"Previous designs would adjust power delivery, especially if the charger became too warm," notes Zimmerman. "In this latest version, the need for that fluctuation is greatly reduced. Users will arrive at their destination with a battery more charged than was possible with the outgoing charger."
The Qi2 delivers 15 watts compared to the 5 watts found on many in-car wireless chargers, which yields a 10-to-90 percent charge in just over 90 minutes. An updated 5-watt charger takes around 4 hours to charge your phone fully.
Like other wireless chargers, Nissan’s Qi2 also has an LED status light that tells you exactly what’s happening with your phone. A solid orange light means that charging is underway, and a solid green light means that your phone is fully charged.
"The Qi2 charger is all about enhancing usability, and the charging indicator light supports that goal. It eliminates the guesswork; you can check if your phone is charging with a quick glance," Zimmerman said.
What Took So Long?
It’s actually shocking that it took this long for a company to crack magnetized wireless phone charging in vehicles (though, we’ll have to actually test it to see how it works in the real world). The first MagSafe iPhone—the 12—debuted in 2020, but it took more than five years for a similar technology to make it into your car.
The first MagSafe Qi2 in-car charger was actually announced back in 2023 at CES. Even then, that’s still two years before technology could make its way into an actual production vehicle. We can’t imagine Nissan will be the only automaker to offer Qi2 wireless charging—but it’s a big step forward for one of your car’s most annoying features.
