Google Pixel 4 Supports Faster Wireless Charging

According to the Wireless Power Consortium, the Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL will wirelessly charge at 11 watts, vs. 5 watts for the Pixel 3, on any Qi-compatible charger.

“Turns out the Pixel 4 supports 11W Qi wireless charging,” XDA Developers’ Mishaal Rahman tweeted. “Pixel 3 only supported 5W Qi wireless charging. Not sure why Google never mentioned this.”

It’s a good question: On the Pixel 4’s specifications page, Google notes that the Pixel 4 and 4 XL both ship with 18-watt USB-C chargers that support fast charging, but the listing only says that they likewise support “Qi-certified wireless charging” without specifying the maximum received power.

On a related note, Google’s wireless charging solution, the Pixel Stand, can wirelessly charge at 10-watts, and that’s true of the Pixel 3 series as well. The change with Pixel 4 impacts all Qi-compatible chargers.

And Rahman also points out, separately, that the Pixel 4 line supports up to 20-watts for wired charging, though it’s unlikely anyone would ever shell out for such a minor upgrade over the built-in charger.