Update: It has since been revealed that the Pixel 6 may not work with general-purpose chargers, especially USB-A cables or bricks with slower charging speeds. So if you are having problems charging, this may be the case

The announcement of the Google Pixel 6 series included the news that both models would support 30W fast charging. Unfortunately, however, that was not the case in tests, and it was around 22W. And now Google has admitted it.

In a community blog post, Google revealed that the Pixel 6 can only draw 21W of power from a wired charger. The Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, can draw 23W, which is a little better, but still far from the 30W speed we were promised.

We initially heard this news after Android Authority dug deeper into the Pixel 6 and found it to be up to 22W speeds. The Pixel 5, on the other hand, supports a maximum speed of 18W, which is not that low and only 3W lower than the maximum power consumption of the Pixel 6.

Google still claims that the Pixel 6 recovers 50% of its charge in 30 minutes and 80% after an hour. Unfortunately, our own Pixel 6 charging tests also found it to charge slower than competing products.

The Pixel 6 Pro fared a bit better, registering 40% after 30 minutes, but still far from the promised 50%.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S21 recorded 55% under the same test conditions, and the OnePlus 9's 65W charger was almost fully charged in the same time. We now know why these results were achieved.

So why invest in a 30W charger when the old 18W charger is not so bad? According to Google, the new brick supports the new USB PD 3.0 PPS standard, which allows for more efficient charging. But whether that is worth the cost of the new brick is for you to decide.

Google also said that the Pixel 6 can optimize its charging speed, meaning it will charge faster when the battery is low and slower when it is closer to full. It should be noted that this is not unique to the Google Pixel.

All lithium-ion batteries charge faster initially and slower as they approach full charge. It does not matter whether it is a smartphone battery measured in milliamp-hours (mAh) or an electric car measured in kilowatt-hours.

What is interesting about this is that the new $79 Pixel Stand also has a maximum charging speed of 23W. Not only is this the same as the maximum power consumption of the Pixel 6 Pro, but Google advertises that fact.

The pre-order page for the Pixel Stand promises that it can "wirelessly charge devices with the same power as a wireless charger." While this could originally have been interpreted as a slight against slower wireless chargers (and there are plenty of them), this statement appears to be entirely literal.

The Pixel Stand is priced at $79 and is currently available for pre-order for delivery in mid-December. It also comes with a $25 30W USB charging brick if Pixel 6 owners do not already have one.

In any case, this is worth thinking about before you go out and buy a Pixel 6. it's definitely worth remembering before buying a 30W charger. as someone who paid extra for a faster charging speed even though there are 18W Pixel chargers lying around, I I can say I'm pretty pissed off.