You’ll no longer need to splash out on a Google-branded Pixel Stand to get speedy wireless charging on your Pixel phone.
According to the Wireless Power Consortium, both the Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 4 XL can support any Qi wireless charging pad of up to 11W – a 6W upgrade on the Pixel 3’s Qi capabilities.
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Qi is the most common standard when it comes to third-party wireless charging and support for the tech can be found in tons of phones on the market from the iPhone 11 to the Samsung Note 10. By supporting faster charging for Qi chargers, Google is opening the market up to loads of affordable third-party options for Pixel users searching for fast wireless charging on a budget.
XDA Developers editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman spotted the upgrade and shared the news on Twitter:
Well, I'll be damned. Turns out the Pixel 4 supports 11W Qi wireless charging. Pixel 3 only supported 5W Qi wireless charging. Not sure why Google never mentioned this.
Sources: https://t.co/H9NesUxxkHhttps://t.co/tLl5qqgf4Z pic.twitter.com/1rC94MR0kQ
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) October 21, 2019
Google unveiled the Pixel 4 exactly one week ago at the company’s big Made by Google event but it neglected to mention the expanded wireless charging support on the new smartphone.
That being said, Google registered the information with the Wireless Power Consortium on October 17 – two days after the Pixel was launched – so it could just be that the company was holding out for official confirmation before telling users about the upgrade.
The Pixel 4 isn’t the first Google smartphone to support wireless charging – the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL launched last year both with wireless charging support. However, speeds were pretty limited when it came to third party charging.
While the Pixel 3 could charge at 10W if you paid a little extra for a Pixel Stand, only a limited number of third-party wireless chargers could support the 2018 smartphone and these options were capped at a sluggish 5W.
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Opening the flagship smartphone up to a wider range of fast and affordable Qi chargers beyond Google’s own Pixel Stand is a really nice step up for the Pixel 4 from its predecessor.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
