Google Details Charging Capabilities Of The Pixel 6

Google is explaining how the charging system works on the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. This comes after initial testing found that the peak power draw of the Pixel 6 Pro was significantly below 30W. This is despite Google selling a 30W charging adapter for the two new flagships.

The company explains that it made some “upgrades to charging” to ensure the larger battery on the Pixel 6 Pro can charge efficiently.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro can only draw peak power of 21W and 23W from Google’s 30W charger

“Google has designed the high energy density cells in Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to strike a balance between battery life, longevity and fast charging. Regardless of available power coming from the wall plug, the actual power delivered through a full charge cycle varies over the course of a single charge,” the company said on its support page.

The Pixel 6 can reportedly go from 0 to 50% in roughly 30 minutes using the first-party 30W USB-C charger. Going from 50 to 80% can take another hour “depending on device usage and temperature.”

Lastly, Charging speeds are lowered when it goes from 80 to 100% to prolong the battery’s lifespan. Google also confirmed that the Pixel 6 and the 6 Pro could draw peak power of 21W and 23W, respectively. These speeds also apply to the wireless chargers listed on the Pixel 6/6 Pro product page.

The company’s recommendation is to continue using its charging adapter since it supports USB PD 3.0 PPS. 9to5Google notes that standard USB PD and BC1.2 wall chargers will also work with the new Pixel smartphones. Combining Google’s 30W wall adapter and the 2nd-gen Pixel Stand can reportedly provide the “maximum power needed to charge” the two devices.

In related news, we recently learned that the Pixel 6 Pro eats more power when the display is on 60Hz mode than when it’s on 120Hz. Understandably, this is an odd phenomenon given that higher refresh rates consume greater battery power. Google is also working on a software fix for the Pixel 6 screen flickering bug. Separately, some users have complained of problems with the onboard fingerprint scanner. So there are a few issues for the company to contend with.