Google Pixel 10 series might finally copy this long-standing Apple feature

Google’s expected to unveil the Pixel 10 series on August 20, and based on the leaks we’ve seen so far, these will look almost identical to their predecessors from 2024. But the company is going to pack them with some very interesting updates on the inside – the Tensor G5 chipset will be the first one made by TSMC and not Samsung, which should improve performance and battery life; gimbal-like camera stabilization seems to be in too.

And also magnets. A new report claims the Pixel 10 devices will support Qi 2.2 wireless charging with magnets built into the phones themselves, just like Apple does it. Google has even prepared a trademark for its upcoming magnetic accessories: Pixelsnap (as they snap on).

Google Pixel 10 leaked CAD-based renders

So far it seems like there will be three Pixelsnap accessories at launch: a magnetic charger, a charger with a stand, and a “Ring Stand”. The charger will just be a charger, the one with the stand, well, it will have a stand, while the “Ring Stand” will be the charger with the stand without the charger.

The Pixels could become smart displays while charging when combined with a Pixelsnap charger (or any Qi2-compatible charger) as Google is working on bringing Hub Mode to phones, so we’d have yet another similarity to how Apple does things (with the Standby Mode in this case).

The key acronym in the screenshot above, taken from an unnamed trade database, is “MPP”, which stands for Magnetic Power Profile. The colors are codenames, by the way – “Rock Candy” usually turns into Obsidian, but this time around Obsidian won’t be Obsidian anymore, while “Mist” becomes Porcelain, although with the Pixel 10 generation it might be Light Porcelain. If that sentence didn’t make any sense to you, we’re talking about the names Google likes to give to its phones’ colors. Obsidian is black, Porcelain is white.

Interestingly, the Pixel 10 series devices are said to sport a ConvenientPower CPS4041 controller chip for wireless charging, and this chip can support up to 60W charging, but Google could limit that in any way it wants, so this isn’t a confirmation of much faster wireless charging on the Pixel 10s.

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