Tech media Android Authority reported yesterday (December 10) that while the Google Pixel 10 series has enjoyed strong sales and even broken company records, users are increasingly frustrated with serious compatibility problems in the wireless charging experience.

📈 Strong Sales, But Growing Charging Complaints

Since its launch several months ago, the Pixel 10 family — comprising the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Fold — has been well-received for its overall performance. However, as the user base has grown, so have reports about charging and battery health issues, with wireless charging compatibility emerging as one of the most criticized aspects.

⚡ Qi2 Support Isn’t Helping With Older Chargers

On paper, all Pixel 10 models support the new Qi2 wireless charging standard, with maximum power up to 15 W for most models and up to 25 W for the Pro XL, thanks to better heat dissipation.

But in real-world tests, the story is very different:

• When used with older Qi1 standard chargers (including common third-party pads and some MagSafe chargers), Pixel 10 devices often reduce charging power to ~5 W, and sometimes as low as 3 W, instead of delivering higher speeds.
• By comparison, the previous Pixel 9 series could achieve up to 12 W on compatible older chargers, making those older pads far more usable in practice.
• In some tests, a Pixel 10 Pro charged from ~27% to full on an older wireless pad reportedly shows a charging estimate of up to 8 hours, with occasional mid-charge interruptions.

Technical analysis suggests that this issue is related to the Pixel 10’s strict reliance on the Qi2 standard and its magnetic alignment protocol (MPP). Older Qi chargers that lack the newer magnetic alignment features may fail the “handshake,” forcing the phone to fall back to minimal power or stop charging altogether.

🚗 Problems Everywhere — From Gyms to Cars

Users have reported that the Pixel 10 series fails to work correctly on many everyday wireless charging surfaces, such as in fast-food restaurant tables, gym equipment, and built-in car charging pads — environments where users might previously have expected wireless charging to “just work.”

This is especially problematic for in-car wireless charging, as automakers will not update vehicle charging modules to support a single phone model, meaning Pixel 10 users could lose wireless charging capability when driving.

📊 Comparison With Competitors

In contrast, competitors like Samsung demonstrate more robust backward compatibility even without Qi2 support:

• Older phones, such as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, can achieve ~15 W on many wireless chargers — including those with magnetic phone cases — and the newer Galaxy S25 Ultra continues this trend of stable performance.

📉 A Step Too Far?

According to Android Authority, this situation suggests that Google’s aggressive push toward a new standard (Qi2) came at the expense of compatibility with the vast installed base of existing wireless chargers, leading to a net downgrade in real-world user experience rather than an improvement.

The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.