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Apr 08, 2023

Does the Google Pixel Fold have wireless charging?

The Pixel Fold is among the most anticipated foldables of the year, but does it

The Pixel Fold is among the most anticipated foldables of the year, but does it cover the basics?

Google's $1,800 Pixel Fold will soon hit the shelves to go head-to-head with Samsung's foldables in the U.S. It's significantly more expensive than Google's other Pixel phones, but there is a lot to like about it. It's a book-style foldable that transforms from a compact 5.8-inch smartphone into a 7.6-inch mini tablet. It essentially packs two OLED panels — a regular flat display on the outside along with a folding panel inside — and a bunch of other powerful internals, including Google's in-house Tensor G2 chip.

All the powerful internals are likely to drain the Pixel Fold's 4,821mAh battery fairly quickly, so does it support wireless charging to let you conveniently top up the battery instead of a cable all the time? Well, the simple answer is yes. The Pixel Fold supports wireless charging, and you can use any Qi-compatible wireless charger to top up its battery.

Google's new Pixel Fold, as I mentioned earlier, packs a 4,821mAh battery which, according to Google, is rated to offer an all-day battery life. We haven't put it through its paces here yet, so I can't quite comment on those claims. What I can tell you, however, is that it supports both wired and wireless charging. You can either connect it to a USB PD charger via a USB-C cable or plop it on a wireless charging pad or a stand to conveniently charge it without fiddling with any cables.

As far as the charging speeds are concerned, the Pixel Fold tops out at 21W wired and 7.5W wireless charging speeds. Google isn't including any charger in the box, meaning you'll have to buy one separately, be it a wired or a wireless charger. The fact that it doesn't come with a charger isn't necessarily surprising, so I won't let it affect the purchase decision. I am just glad that it supports both wired and wireless charging, albeit slower.

Long story short, Google's new Pixel Fold supports both wired and wireless charging. You can use either of them to top up your device depending on what you have at your disposal, but keep in mind that it'll charge relatively faster when connected to a USB PD charger versus using a wireless charger. If that sounds like something you'd be willing to put up with, then I recommend you hit the link below to buy it now or stop by our roundup of the best Pixel Fold deals to see if you can save some money on your purchase. If not, you can explore my collection of the best phones to see if something else catches your fancy.

The Google Pixel Fold is a feature-rich device with a compact form factor, flagship hardware, impressive cameras, and a phenomenal software experience.

An evergreen writer at XDA Developers serving up reviews, buying guides, deals, and more on smartphones that you care about. I have over six years of experience in covering smartphones and their companion products. Before joining XDA Developers, I was a senior reviewer at Digit, a popular tech magazine in India. I have an unhealthy relationship with gaming, so you'll either find me yelling at my monitors while playing an online shooter or simply lounging with an open-world RPG in my free time.