While we put out a post a couple weeks ago letting all of you know that your Pixel Watch would not charge on a standard Qi wireless charger (even though it appears to do so), it appears the charger for that watch is somehow capable of delivering Qi wireless charging to smaller peripherals like earbuds: including Google’s own Pixel Buds Pro.
Thanks to a post by 9to5 Google, we were made aware that this duality of charging abilities does exist for the Pixel Watch charger when it comes to the Pixel Buds Pro. So, naturally, I wondered if that applied to all wireless earbuds with charging cases, and it turns out the answer is a resounding yes!
We tested the Pixel Buds Pro, the AirPods Pro, Wyze Buds Pro and Anker Soundcore Life P3 and each one was able to draw a charge from the Pixel Watch charger. As to why this is the case, I have no idea. After the failures of the Pixel Watch to be able to actually charge from a standard Qi charger, we all assumed the wireless charging on Google’s new wearable was some sort of proprietary tech.
Instead, it seems that the Pixel Watch likely charges with a Qi-like charging system and perhaps has an additional signal that it looks for from the Pixel Watch-specific charger. This would allow the charger to be putting out Qi power for those devices that don’t particularly care about what the source is while still having whatever is needed to communicate with the Pixel Watch to get it to accept the charge.
Regardless of the way this is being handled, it seems quite clear that your Pixel Watch charger is capable of pulling off double duty on the nightstand. While I don’t necessarily think it will be the best charger for daily use, it could be a life saver when on the road. As we come into the holiday-heavy months at the end of the year, that could mean the difference of a smooth plane ride with your earbuds intact or a less-than-desirable trip without them.
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