Smartphone OEMs are in a race to cram as many watts of electricity into their phone batteries via faster chargers. Thanks to a dive into Android 12’s code by a 9to5Google contributor, we now know that might be joining the race, possibly around the time that the Pixel 6 hits the market.
This will be Google’s second wireless charger
Google unveiled its first wireless charger for the Pixel 3/3 XL back in 2018. It was able to push a 10W current to the phone. That is pretty pedestrian by today’s standards, but we’re all expecting this new charger to pack more of a punch. There’s no word on exactly how many watts we’re going to be looking at.
The codename for this new charger is “Luxuryliner” which falls in line with the codename for the first generation, “Dreamliner.” Since the first charger was released alongside the Pixel 3, we can expect this charger to be released alongside the Pixel 6.
The new Google wireless charger will have different fan speeds
Wireless chargers have gotten to the point where they sometimes need fans to cool them down, which is a scary thought. Those familiar with the conservation of energy will know that some of the electrical energy passing through the charger gets converted into heat energy. The more electrical energy, the more heat. To combat this, companies like OnePlus and Samsung put fans into their wireless chargers.
There’s not much information to go on besides what was uncovered in the code. The code that we see pertains to how the fans are to be handled. The fans will spin at different speeds depending on which mode is active.
The fans will have three fan speeds
There will be a quiet mode where the fans will spin slower to reduce the noise. This will come in handy when you don’t want to hear the noise of the fans. While this is handy for when you’re trying to read a book, this will lead to less efficient cooling.
Next, there will be an auto mode. In this mode, the fans will adjust themselves based on how hot the phone is. There may be a feature where the fans will automatically go into silent mode when the Google Assistant is activated. This is to help the phone pick up the user’s voice.
The last mode is called ‘Power Boost’. As its name suggests, this mode should be when the charger is charging at its full capacity. Because of this, the fans will need to be working overtime to cool down the phone. There’s no telling if Google is planning on actually releasing the charger at this point- only time will tell.