Google Pixel 8 pops up early, won’t include Qi2 wireless charging upgrade

Months ahead of its expected release date, the Google “Pixel 8” has been officially certified for Qi wireless charging, confirming no speed improvement over last year.

For a device to promote that it’s compatible with Qi charging, it first needs to get approval from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). This is one of the many regulatory steps ahead of the release of a new Pixel phone, among others like the Bluetooth SIG, the FCC in the US, and more.

Last year, Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro didn’t appear on the WPC’s official website until over a week after the phones were released. That being the case makes today’s news all the more interestingly timed.

On Wednesday evening, a new Qi certification listing appeared for the “Google Pixel 8,” carrying model number “GKWS6.” The 9to5Google team was also able to independently confirm this model number for Google’s upcoming flagship phone.

Unfortunately, we don’t get a sneak peek at the Pixel 8 – though we admittedly already got that last week – as the listing’s included image depicts the Pixel 6. That said, we can assume the rest of the details are correct.

Specifically, the Pixel 8 is set to feature no notable upgrades over the wireless charging capabilities of the Pixel 7. According to the WPC, the Pixel 8 will offer the same maximum Qi charging rate of 12 W.

More importantly, judging from the listed version of the Qi standard (1.2.4), it seems that the Pixel 8 will not feature the recently announced “Qi2” standard. That upgrade is built on the foundation of Apple’s MagSafe ecosystem, using magnets to ensure your device is properly aligned with the Qi charging coils.

Effectively, when this new standard becomes widely available, we’ll be seeing the same ideas presented in MagSafe in Android smartphones. We’ve seen third-party cases emulate some of those features, but this official support ought to prove interesting to say the least. The WPC also says that this change could open wireless charging to new form factors that “wouldn’t be chargeable using current flat surface-to-flat surface devices.”

Considering Qi2 was only officially unveiled in January of this year, it’s not too much of a surprise to see the Pixel 8 likely won’t include it. That said, the WPC has not yet published details about the Pixel 8 Pro, so there may be some hope yet.

Either way, it’s somewhat exciting to have some of the first (essentially) confirmed details of the Pixel 8 this early on, even if nothing has changed over last year.

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