Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro Do Not Actually Charge at 30W – Here Is How Much They Really Consume

Both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were assumed to be able to use up to 30W of power in order for their large batteries to top up faster. Unfortunately, that is not the case, according to the latest test results that you are about to see.

The Most the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro Can Draw Is 22W, Which Reduces as the Battery Percentage Increases

To be clear, Google never officially stated that its latest flagships support 30W of fast-charging, only that the battery would reach 50 percent in 30 minutes on the basis that the handsets are connected to a 30W USB-C power brick, which is then plugged into a wall outlet. Even then, the company stated that actual results might be slower. Later, Android Authority performed its own tests to see how the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro fared. It turns out the figures were different.

According to the results, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro can consume 22W of power from the outlet, with an average of 13W during the entire charge cycle. The tests were not just carried out using Google’s 30W charger but also others that support the USB-C Power Delivery PPS standard. As you can see in the graph, the power consumption of the flagship gradually reduces when the battery is nearing 100 percent.

Even though it takes around 30 minutes for the battery to reach almost 50 percent of its total capacity, it takes around an hour and a half for the charge to reach the entire 100 percent. It is possible Google is limiting the total power draw on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro because it wants less battery degradation. Less power means less heat will be produced which is advantageous for not just the battery, but other components running in both handsets as it has a smaller effect on their lifespan.

Samsung and Apple also limited the total power draw on its smartphones, but they are slowly changing their approach. Chinese smartphone makers are way ahead in this category, but abnormally fast-charging smartphone batteries can be detrimental to their total charge capacity in the long run. Android Authority believes that Google is limiting the power draw because it has used inferior quality batteries on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Whether or not that is true, do you think it is the right approach from the company to allow less battery degradation by limiting the total power they can draw from the charger?