Google has just offered its explanation as to why the Pixel 9 phones do not support Qi2 charging standard. We recently wrote about that, and offered a logical explanation for it. Well, it seems like we were right.
Google has decided to explain why its new Pixel 9 phones don’t support Qi2 standard
Google was asked, by Android Authority, why the company skipped Qi2 support. The company said that “the older Qi protocol was more readily available on the market and that there are no tangible benefits to switching to Qi2”.
Back in January last year, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) announced the Qi2 standard. It was released in April that same year. Google had its Pixel 9 plans locked in for quite some time, probably, and likely didn’t want to make, or were not able to make, any last minute changes.
That’s probably what Google meant by “the older Qi protocol was more readily available on the market”. Perhaps there was an option for it, but Google decided to stick with Qi for this generation.
Qi2 would bring several benefits to the table
It would be nice to have support for Qi2 standard, that’s for sure, for several reasons. It would enable you to use MagSafe-like magnetic accessories, and you’d also get 15W charging as a standard.
You can now use MagSafe-like accessories with the Pixel 9, but you’ll need a compatible case in order to do it. In regards to standard Qi charging, it’s now limited to 12W. You can get faster wireless charging with a Pixel Stand, but that’s a whole different story. The supported wireless charging speed also depends on the device we’re talking about. Not all Pixel 9 phones offer the same wireless charging in conjunction with the Pixel Stand.
If we had to guess, we’d say that the Pixel 10 series will deliver Qi2. That would make all the sense in the world. Let’s hope Google won’t have different ideas, as it won’t really have an exclusive next year.