Wireless charging on Pixels has always been a bit of a headache. You'd think with the Pixel 10 series having built-in Qi2, things would finally be simple. I mean, we shouldn't have to second-guess which charger to use, right?

Well, after testing a bunch of chargers with different Pixel models, I found out it's not that straightforward. There are some tricky differences, and honestly, it's easy to end up with the wrong charger. A survey revealed that many users have fallen into this trap.

Qi2 Chargers and Older Pixels

Thinking of buying a wireless charger? You might be tempted to get a Qi2 charger for future-proofing, even if your current Pixel doesn't support it. It sounds reasonable since Qi2 is supposed to work with older Qi devices. However, if you do that with a Pixel 9 or older, it will drop to a pathetic 5W charging speed. Although your phone can handle up to 12W with standard Qi, and the Qi2 charger promises 15W or more, they just don't play well together. I'm not exactly sure why; maybe it's the magnets or something, but your Pixel thinks it's going to overheat. So, it asks the charger to go down to the Basic Power Profile, giving you only about 3-4W in reality. This means super slow charging times - think three or four hours to fully charge your Pixel 9.

If you're planning to upgrade your phone soon, it's not a big deal. But if you are like me and want to keep your Pixel 9 (or older) for another year, stick with a regular Qi charger. You'll get better charging speeds, and they're cheaper.

Older Qi Chargers and the Pixel 10 Series

The Pixel 10 series has its own set of problems. It seems that they don't like older Qi chargers. Even though the Pixel 10 can handle 15W (or even 25W on the Pro XL), it drops down to 5W on older chargers. And yes, I'm talking about certified EPP Qi chargers, which should be able to deliver more power. Again, it seems to be a handshake issue. The phone asks for only 5W, even if the charger could provide more. If you're experiencing slow charging with your Pixel 10 on an old charger, it might be time to upgrade to a Qi2 charger. It's not a perfect solution, I won't lie; even the official Google charger can be slow and get hot. But generally, you'll see more reliable charging. Just don't spend too much, because the difference isn't huge.

Google needs to sort this out. A simple software update could fix the issues, allowing older Pixels to take advantage of Qi2 and the Pixel 10 to charge properly with older chargers. I really hope the next Pixel will finally get rid of these charging problems. When I see 25W wireless charging on the spec sheet, I expect something close to that, not a measly 8W!