Google Pixel 6 Pro could be the fastest charging Pixel phone ever

Google Pixel 6 animated photo showing the phone's front and back
(Image credit: Future)

Recent Google Pixel phones haven't exactly been slow to charge, but they've not exactly kept pace with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra either. But that may change. 

According to a Taiwanese regulatory certification label spotted by XDA Developers, the Google Pixel 6 Pro could have the fastest charging speed of any Pixel phone ever, with a wired charging speed of 33W. 

The label lists a quartet of charging speeds for a Google phone that XDA Developers claims is the Pixel 6 Pro, having corroborated the report with a source who apparently has access to the phone. The charging speeds are listed in volts and amps: 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 9V/3A and 11V/3A.

XDA Developers worked out that those numbers convert to 15W, 18W, 27W and 33W respectively. Going by other supposed leaks, it would seem like 33W will be the most likely charging speed Google will go for with the Pixel 6 Pro. 

Those speeds might not be industry leading, with the likes of Oppo, OnePlus and Xiaomi offering 65W fast charging or higher. But the Google Pixel 5 only had 18W fast-charging, meaning the Pixel 6 Pro could offer notably faster charging speeds than older Pixel phones. 

While we’re expecting the Pixel 6 Pro to have a 5,000 mAh battery and thus a solid battery life, its custom Tensor chip and potential capacity for demanding AI-centric tasks could see it guzzle down electrical juice at speed. Being able to speedily charge the phone could therefore offer some compromise for a potentially reduced battery life, though this is all speculation on our part. 

The Pixel 6 is also tipped to get a faster wireless charging speed, but this wasn’t mentioned in this certification label. 

Compared to other current flagship phones, 33W charging beats the iPhone 13’s 20W wired charging, as well as Samsung Galaxy S21’s 25W charging, but lags behind the Oppo Find X3 Pro with its 65W charging. But the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 is expected to have 45W charging, which could hit back at the Pixel 6. 

Alongside improved charging speeds and a Google-designed chipset, the Pixel 6 Pro is also set to have a 6.71-inch 120Hz refresh rate display, a trio of rear cameras, 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. And shots of the Pixel 6 Pro in the real world also indicate it'll have an eye-catching design, thanks to a bold rear camera bar. 

We’re expecting the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to be revealed rather soon, likely October time going by the tidbits of information so far, as well as past Google phone launches. 

Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.