Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro barely charge any faster than the Pixel 5

By

With the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google appeared to have outdone the battery longevity of the already long-lasting Pixel 5 by offering bigger batteries and faster charging speeds to compensate. But an analysis done this weekend by android-focused tech blog Android Authority has found Google’s Pixel charging speeds to be much more in line with older Pixels than the company would have you believe.

A test carried out by the tech publication showed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro could only reach 22 watts at peak changing speeds — just a little bit over the 18W you’ll find on older Pixels. This means that the Pixel 6’s charging time is also slower than the older Pixel 5 due to a combination of its bigger battery and its similar charging speeds. It takes the Pixel 6 just under two hours to reach a full charge, whereas the Pixel 5 would charge in a little over an hour and a half. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with a 25W charger outpaces both. You can read the reasoning in the Android Authority piece, but the short version is Google’s Pixel 6 drops wired charging speeds after 50%, whereas Samsung keeps a fast charging pace up to around 85%.

Google Pixel 6 Pro widgets.
Android 12 widgets Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

To be fair to Google, the company does not come out and say that it is offering 30W charging speeds as other Android phone makers do with 60W and 120W speeds. What the company does is imply and hint at it, but carefully never states is what speeds the Pixel 6, and 6 Pro are capable of reaching.

Recommended Videos

Where this becomes misleading is that Google has always listed the charging speeds of other Pixel phones rather than listing the charging speeds of their chargers, leading to a natural assumption that the Pixel 6 would be the same. With the Pixel 6, we are told it offers “fast charging – up to 50% charge in about 30 minutes – with Google 30 W USB-C Charger with USB-PD 3.0 (PPS) sold separately,” while the Pixel 4a is unambiguously described as offering “18 W fast charging.”

It’s worth noting that Google advertising a battery charging speed it doesn’t offer would not be out of the ordinary in the Android world. Android Authority themselves have tested other fast chargers, including the Mi 10 Ultra and its claimed 120W speeds, finding that it only charges at a maximum of around 80W. The unfortunate implication here, however, comes from the Pixel 6’s exclusion of a charger for environmental concerns while making it seem like preexisting Pixel chargers would not be enough. It’s a bit of sleight of hand that has forced more than a few buyers to buy a charger out of pocket.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Michael Allison
Michael Allison
Mobile News Writer
A UK-based tech journalist for Digital Trends, helping keep track and make sense of the fast-paced world of tech with a…
Does the Google Pixel 8a have wireless charging?
A photo of someone holding the Google Pixel 8a.

The budget-friendly Google Pixel 8a is a phone with impressive features. It boasts a 6.1-inch display and a Google Tensor G3 chip with a Titan M2 security coprocessor, and it's the only phone under $500 to have Gemini Nano. Combined with impressive cameras and features like Magic Editor, Best Take, Magic Eraser, and more, there's a lot to like here.

One question remains, however: Does the Google Pixel 8a offer wireless charging? Let’s take a look.
Does the Google Pixel 8a have wireless charging?

Read more
The 10 most important things to know about the Google Pixel 8a
Promo image for the Google Pixel 8a, showing renders of the phone in all four colors.

Google has just announced the next Pixel A-series device -- the new Google Pixel 8a. The A-series is the more budget-friendly Pixel option, and it comes out halfway in the cycle to the next mainline Pixel device.

This year, the Pixel 8a offers some big upgrades over its predecessor, the Google Pixel 7a. It’s also more similarly matched with the standard Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, both of which came out in October 2023.

Read more
The Google Pixel 8a is official. Here’s everything that’s new
Someone taking a phone call on the aloe Google Pixel 8a.

A week ahead of its annual developers' conference, Google has dropped a new budget phone in its Pixel-A series. The Google Pixel 8a retains the line’s signature look with a horizontal camera island at the back, but serves it in a package that embraces rounded corners and also happens to be fractionally smaller and lighter

The most meaningful changes are reserved for the display, silicon, and battery. The OLED screen’s size remains the same at 6.1 inches with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. However, the refresh rate has been increased to 120Hz, up from the Google Pixel 7a's 90Hz display. This HDR-ready panel offers a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits and also features a fingerprint sensor underneath.

Read more