San Francisco: Tech giant Google has responded to allegations that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro do not charge as fast as some have expected, confirming that their charging speeds are a deliberate trade-off for better battery life.
It follows a report from Android Authority which found that the phones’ maximum power draw was around 22W, well short of the 30W that Google’s latest USB-C charging brick is technically capable of, reports The Verge.
A spokesperson for Google confirmed that the maximum power draw of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are 21W and 23W respectively when used with its 30W USB-C charging brick, adding that charging speeds also decrease as the phones’ batteries fill up to preserve their longevity.
In a community support post, the company noted that these figures are the inevitable results of battery tradeoffs.
“A battery can be designed for high energy density, or for fast charging power capability, which requires trading off capacity to minimize battery degradation,” said the spokesperson.
In other words, a phone can offer long battery life, or fast charging, but it cannot do both at the same time. So, Google prioritised a longer battery life and designed the phones to draw a more modest amount of power when charging.
The recently launched Pixel 6 features a 6.4-inch OLED display, while the Pixel 6 Pro sports a 6.7-inch LTPO display that will come with a variable refresh rate ranging from 10Hz to 120Hz.