The Pixel phone can't charge at 18W, as Google suggested

Nov 2, 2016 16:21 GMT  ·  By

Big companies like Apple, Google, Samsung and the like usually get away when they falsely advertise their products and highlight features that are not working as described. The last company to falsely claim one of its products operates within certain parameters is Google.

The culprit is the Pixel phone, which has been confirmed to charge at 18W, just like its Pixel XL bigger brother. However, a reputable community tester of USB devices, Nathan K, performed some tests on both Pixel phones and came to the conclusion that the Pixel phone can't reach 18W during charging.

Google has been quick to respond to these tests, which Nathan K made publicly known, and said that the fact that the Pixel phone was advertised as fully supporting 18W charging was a mistake the marketing department made when they listed the features on the ad materials.

Also, the search giant updated the phone's specs on its website accordingly, so it now states that the Pixel phone charges at 15W - 18W, which is closer to what the device offers in reality.

Pixel phone charging
Pixel phone charging

Nathan speculates that Google might have limited the charging capability of the Pixel phone. In fact, the phone could charge at 18W, but Google made an intentional decision not to allow the Pixel phone to charge at that value due to thermal concerns.

The good news is this will not have any effect on your daily use, as the Pixel phone will charge just about as quickly as the Pixel XL, if it has a similar battery. Also, Nathan states that both the charger and the phone are safe to use, even though Google limited the charging values.

Obviously, this is a minor mistake, which shouldn't weigh heavily on your decision to buy any of the two Pixel phones. Small mistakes like these are usually overlooked and aren't punished by country regulators, but what about major flaws?

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Pixel and Pixel XL
Pixel phone charging
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