The truth about Google Pixel 9 charging speeds

I don’t know about you, but when Google announced the Pixel 9 phones, it seemed like they were all being upgraded to 45W charging. However, that’s not quite the case.

It would be true, as Google launched a new 45W charger (£29.99/$29.99) alongside the phones and advertised ‘faster charging’. However, I dug into the spec sheets and found that none of the Pixel 9 phones can achieve this speed.

Actually, only the Pixel 9 Pro XL can really benefit from this new charger. If you care about charging speeds, here’s how fast each of these can be wired:

• Pixel 9 – up to 27W
• Pixel 9 Pro – up to 27W
• Pixel 9 Pro XL – up to 37W
• Pixel 9 Pro Fold – up to 21W

And while we’re at it, these are the wireless charging speeds.

• Pixel 9 – up to 15W
• Pixel 9 Pro – up to 21W
• Pixel 9 Pro XL – up to 23W
• Pixel 9 Pro Fold – ‘Qi Certified’

The wireless charging figures are based on using the second-gen Google Pixel Stand (£69/$79), otherwise you get 12W over Qi. The Pixel 9 phones do not have Qi 2.

It’s not like Google is lying about the charging speeds and not openly saying they support 45W, but it’s also not very obvious without looking closely. We certainly got the impression that the phones had been upgraded to 45W this year.

The store suggests the new charger as an additional purchase (the phones only come with a cable). And if all the charging times mentioned, such as “up to 55% in about 30 minutes” for the regular Pixel 9, were tested with the 45W charger, that means you need this charger to get those results.

However, as you can see, the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold will all work fine with Google’s 30W charger, even though it has been removed from the official store.

Read our full Pixel 9 Pro XL review to see what we thought of the only phone that benefits from the 45W charger.

Interested in purchasing one? See our guide to the best deals on the Pixel 9 series.