 |
| Google explains why the Pixel 6 lineup is slow to ship |
Google responded to claims that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro aren't charging as quickly as some people expected and confirmed that faster charging is a deliberately chosen workaround to extend the life of the device.
Previously, a report by Android Authority found that the maximum power consumption of a cell phone was around 22 watts, which is far less than the 30 watts that Google's latest USB-C charger can technically provide.
A company spokesperson confirmed in a community support post that the maximum power consumption of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro when used with a 30W USB-C charger is 21W and 23W, respectively.
He added that when the mobile phone battery is fully charged, the charging speed will be reduced to preserve its life. "The battery can be designed for a high energy density or used for fast energy charging, which requires capacity equalization to reduce battery degradation," the spokesperson said.
In other words, cell phones can offer longer battery life or fast charging. But he cannot do both at the same time. This is why Google prioritizes extending battery life and developing phones that use less power while charging.
If you are using a powerful charger, these two phones will not charge very fast. The company strives to slow down the charging speed when it exceeds 80% in order to extend the life of the battery.
The phone does not take full advantage of the Google charger
Since the battery is large, it may take a long time to fully charge it. However, due to the long battery life, you may only need to charge it while you sleep.
Although the Google support document does not explicitly mention the charging speed of the new phone. But compatibility with the Google 30W charger (sold separately) is understood by many to mean that the maximum charging speed is close to the 30W mark. Expect the charging speed to be much faster than the 18W charging that the Pixel 5 supports.
However, the Android Authority report found that the actual power consumption of these two phones peaked at 22W. During a full cycle, its average power is about 13 watts.
This means that the phone is charging much slower than expected. The Android Authority has found that the Pixel 6 Pro takes about two hours to fully charge.
It's about 49 minutes slower than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with a similar capacity battery. But it advertises a charging speed of 25W.
The Google phone's power consumption is so conservative that its 30W charger is just 10 minutes faster than the old 18W charger to charge the Pixel 6 Pro.
Google has never claimed that the phone was charged at 30W. Instead, it shows the time taken to reach 0%, 50%, and 80% when charging with a 30W charger, which are 30 minutes and about 60 minutes respectively. This is in line with what Android Authority found in its tests.