{"id":41145,"date":"2025-08-03T20:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T20:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/41145\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T20:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T20:29:09","slug":"the-pixel-10-is-giving-google-a-chance-to-set-a-standard-with-qi2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/41145\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pixel 10 is giving Google a chance to set a standard with Qi2"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As we near the launch of Pixel 10, I\u2019m getting some d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu with Google\u2019s new devices, as the company has been pushing forward with its flagship phones for the betterment of the entire Android ecosystem, rather than just its own benefit. Sound familiar?<\/p>\n

This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of 9to5Google\u2019s rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up here<\/a> to get it delivered to your inbox early!<\/p>\n

Back before we had the Google Pixel lineup, each year would deliver a new Nexus phone. Google produced these devices for a handful of reasons. It started largely as a way for Google to provide a device for developers to make Android apps on, but it morphed into being the place where Google would help break in new ideas for Android as a whole. Essentially, these devices would set the standard. Some examples that come straight to mind include Nexus phones being among the first to adopt USB-C, standardize fingerprint sensors, introduce new features like Seamless Updates, and help bring computational photography into the limelight.<\/p>\n

When Google moved over to Pixel as its device, the goalposts shifted a bit.<\/p>\n

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Pixel wasn\u2019t aimed at developers or meant to be a poster child for features, it was meant to be a device for consumers, a device that provided the experience that Google wanted to deliver through every element. In many ways, the series has let the goals of Nexus live on, but it\u2019s clear that Google has been pretty happy doing its own thing (see Tensor) while allowing its partners to take the wheel, so to say. More recently, though, it really seems like Google is once again trying to set the standard for Android, and doing so through Pixel.<\/p>\n

The first instance of this came with the Pixel 8 series. The bombshell announcement of Google promising \u201cat least\u201d 7 years<\/a> of both security and major Android OS upgrades was important. Not only was Google setting itself apart, but it was outdoing Apple. In the time since, we\u2019ve seen the entire Android industry make moves around this new standard. Samsung matched Google\u2019s policy<\/a> (almost immediately, no less), and many other brands have stepped up to deliver far longer update policies than they used to. There are still plenty of brands with underwhelming software support, but Google\u2019s move did a lot of good for Android as a whole.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m hoping Pixel 10 is the next step in that regard.<\/p>\n

The Qi2 standard has been messy, to say the least, with only a single Android phone having adopted the standard \u2013 2024\u2019s HMD Skyline<\/a> \u2013 but even HMD seems to care a little less<\/a> about its phones nowadays. Samsung half-heartedly adopted Qi2<\/a>, but the \u201cQi2 Ready\u201d program<\/a> is mainly an excuse to skip building magnets directly into a device. It\u2019s a good thing to exist, definitely. So many case makers were already throwing magnets into their cases, and \u201cQi2 Ready\u201d gives that some standardization (though it\u2019s not marketed well at all). But on the other hands, it lets Android manufacturers ignore and\/or weaken a standard that brings a hallmark feature of modern iPhones to the masses, and a feature that people clearly enjoy. <\/p>\n

Google is stepping up to the plate with Pixel 10 and properly adding Qi2 support, or at least that\u2019s what recent leaks spell out<\/a>. That\u2019s a big deal. For customers, because Google seems like it\u2019s building out a whole ecosystem in \u201cPixelsnap\u201d as our team discusses on the latest Pixelated episode<\/a>, but also for Android as a whole.<\/p>\n

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With a major name in this industry \u2013 if a small one by sales numbers \u2013 adopting proper Qi2 support, every Android manufacturer now has a real reason to add support. It\u2019s no longer about matching\/copying the iPhone, it\u2019s about keeping up with their direct competition.<\/p>\n

The update situation matters far more in the broad scheme of things, but the arrival of Qi2 continues on a similar effort.<\/p>\n

What do you think?<\/p>\n

This Week\u2019s Top Stories<\/p>\n

Of course, there were more Pixel leaks<\/p>\n

Pixel 10 prices, Pixel Watch 4 details, the first look at Pixel Buds 2a, this week has had it all. Are there any mysteries left?<\/p>\n

Android Auto and Google Phone get a splash of Material<\/p>\n

Google has started widely rolling out updates this week that deliver new Material updates for Android Auto and the Phone app on Pixel. In the car, you\u2019ll see a splash of color that matches your phone while, on Phone, a full Material 3 Expressive redesign has arrived, at least for beta users.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

More Top Stories<\/p>\n

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Electrek: Nissan may keep this gas SUV alive despite a new EV version coming soon<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Ben:\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>,\u00a0Threads<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

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