Google Pixel Stand: More Than Just a Wireless Charger

Google’s Pixel stand will be compatible with devices that support Qi Wireless charging standard.

Google Pixel Stand is a wireless charger that’ll be available in India very soon.

(Photo: The Quint)

The new Pixel 3 is here in India and you will also get to play around with the Pixel Stand wireless charger this year. Yes, the Pixel 3 with its glass body (unlike its predecessor) now supports Qi Wireless charging, something that Apple has also started supporting since the launch of iPhone 8 and iPhone X last year.

The Pixel Stand will be available as an accessory in the market for Rs 6,999 and we got a chance to try it out and understand its features set recently. Does this device justify its price tag and will it offer anything beyond charging? We tell you everything there is to know about the Pixel Stand.

The Pixel Stand embodies the design language of the Pixel 3 series. It’s a simple stand with a support to hold the phone from falling over. The neat and clean design approach gets a rubberised finish and sadly you’ll have to contend with going for this unit in white colour only. It may not match your phone.

If you’re someone who’s particular with aesthetics, then the two-tone colour difference might bother you, otherwise it should be just okay.

You can charge all Qi Charging supported devices on this unit. (Photo: The Quint)

The charger unit supports USB Type C cable, which can be connected to the power adapter, to get the wireless charging working. This is basically how most wireless chargers available in the market right now function.

But unlike others, it’s good to see that Google is relying on Type C cable and port to power the device. After all, the Pixel 3 series supports Type C by default.

Side profile of the Google Pixel Stand charger. (Photo: The Quint)

Simple and clean design approach used for the device. (Photo: The Quint)

In terms of charging, Google didn’t commit to the actual duration, but it is confident that compared to other wireless chargers, Pixel Stand will be 1X faster than them.

USB Type C cable powers the wireless charger. (Photo: The Quint)

But the Pixel Stand does things beyond what a wireless charger can.

It’s a Voice-Supported Assistant

When the Pixel Stand was demoed at the Pixel launch event earlier this week in the US, I was intrigued to see its capabilities. While it does charge the phone wirelessly, the unit also doubles up as a stand for your phone (Pixel 3 in this case) and let the device become your bedside assistant.

Assistant works from the Pixel 3 to help you with various functions. (Photo: The Quint)

It’ll help you with routines, even wake you up in the morning, read out the latest in the news, play radio channels of your liking and much more.

Set up routines on the Pixel 3 and let the phone on the Stand do its job. (Photo: The Quint)

It’ll be interesting to see how the Assistant learns the user’s behaviour and acclimatise to his/her routines over time. We’ll be using it extensively over the next few weeks and let you know if it’s worth the hype.