While the last two Nexus smartphones are the talk of the town and come boasting a number of the big specs you might expect, there are a few shortcomings on the devices which are likely to attract both their fair share of criticism and attention in equal measure. A prime example of this is the absence of wireless charging on both devices. This is a feature which is gaining traction with manufacturers at the moment and it seems that many might have expected the latest and greatest Nexus flagships to come sporting such a feature. Not to mention, a feature which has already seen criticism on the likes of the OnePlus 2 for not being included.
In fact, this is exactly what is being said by a number of users on reddit who are currently taking part in an AMA with some of the Google team. During the AMA, the team have already provided an explanation as to why the two devices were named with an “X” and a “P”. Although, so far, it seems it is the lack of wireless charging which is being most consistently asked about with a number of users noting they have already invested in wireless chargers and so on. Especially as wireless charging was a feature that was in use on previous Nexus devices.
In replying to why the decision was made to omit wireless charging, the Google representatives have explained that part of the reason is to do with the use of Type-C USB. The team do note that they started with wireless charging on the Nexus 4 as “plugging in USB micro B was such a hassle!” In short, referring to the common problem of which way to insert the microUSB end. As both current Nexus devices come sporting a Type-C USB port, the team note that “there’s no more guessing.” The other reason provided is that it does charge so quickly with the team claiming the Nexus 6P will charge from “1% to 100% in 97 mins“. It is also worth noting that their response explained that adding wireless charging would have added thickness to the devices and as such, with all these factors in mind, they opted for Type-C as opposed to wireless charging.