Pixel 8 certification reveals no wireless charging improvements

The Google Pixel 8 got certified for Qi wireless charging. In other words, it appeared at the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). That listing confirmed no speed improvement over last year’s model, unfortunately.

The Pixel 8 certification confirms the phone won’t offer wireless charging improvements

The device listed comes with a model number ‘GKWS6’, and 9to5Google claims this is the Pixel 8. This listing did not show the phone’s design, however, as the Pixel 6 was used as a placeholder.

In any case, the listing confirms that the Pixel 8 will offer the same maximum Qi charging rate as the Pixel 7, 12W. The phone also won’t offer the ‘Qi2’ standard that got announced earlier this year, at least based on the version of its Qi charging (1.2.4).

Qi2 support won’t be included, it seems

Qi2 would be a nice addition, and it would bring something along the lines of Apple’s MagSafe system to the phone. This would not only bring magnets to the plate, but it would also make the phone compatible with more third-party accessories. Qi2 will start rolling out later this year, and we were hoping the Pixel 8 will support it.

Now, it’s possible the Pixel 8 Pro will paint a different picture, at least as far as wireless charging speed is concerned. That’s not likely, however, and if the Pixel 8 doesn’t support Qi2, chances are the ‘Pro’ model won’t either.

The Pixel 8 design did surface earlier this year

The Pixel 8 surfaced in CAD-based renders earlier this year. It seems like it will be a bit smaller than the Pixel 7, which makes sense, as it will create a bit of difference between vanilla and ‘Pro’ models.

The phone will feature a flat display that will be somewhere between 6.1 and 6.2 inches in size. The Pixel 7 arrived with a 6.3-inch display. The Pixel 8 is also expected to offer thinner bezels.

It will be fueled by the Google Tensor G3 processor that will get announced along with the phone. Android 14 will come pre-installed on the phone, while the device will retain a similar design language as the Pixel 7.