In short: Google has just announced the Pixel Stand, which marks its first entry into first-party accessories for its smartphones, beyond cases. The Pixel Stand is essentially a wireless charging stand that will also show you relevant information. So it could show you what music is playing, what your day looks like tomorrow/today, and much more. Basically making your Pixel 3 a Google Home smart speaker while it is charging at night. It will also gradually make the screen brighter in the morning, as it gets closer to your alarm going off, so that you aren’t scared when the alarm does finally go off. The Pixel Stand does support fast wireless charging, seeing as the Pixel 3 does have 10W wireless charging, and it will also work to wireless charge other Qi-compatible devices, though you won’t get the smart features that are included here.
Background: The search giant decided to wait until 2018 to debut this wireless charger because, well the previous two Pixel smartphones did not feature wireless charging. After being such a big proponent of wireless charging with the Nexus 4, 5 and 6, it decided to get away from that with the Nexus 5X/6P and continued that when it moved to the Pixel-branding. Now it’s back on the Pixel 3, and we likely have Apple to thank for that, after it added wireless charging to the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X last year, many smartphones started adding it again and more companies started putting out wireless charging accessories. Now the Pixel Stand is a whole lot more than just a wireless charger, it also works to cycle through different information, so whether you are charging your phone on your desk or even your bedside table, you will be able to see what’s going on.
Impact: The Pixel Stand will be available for pre-order today, and it will ship along with the Pixel 3 smartphones on October 18. Google is selling this for $79. Which is pretty pricey for a wireless charging stand, but this is definitely more than just a wireless charging stand from Google, and it does also offer up fast wireless charging, which is a bit of a surprise but definitely a nice feature to have. You can pre-order the Pixel Stand on the Google Store now using the link below.
Pre-Order Pixel Stand from Google Store