Google Pixel 3 XL Video Appears to Show Built-In Wireless Charging
Another phone might go cord-free.
Google Pixel 3 XL leaks were few and far between this summer, but now that smartphone season is inching closer the floodgates have opened. A video leaked on Twitter Wednesday reveals that the third-generation Google handset will come with a feature that its predecessors lacked, wireless charging.
A short clip posted by user Maksim Khoroshev showcases the 3 XL’s ability to power itself minus the traditional USB-C charger on which the Pixel 2 and 2 XL relied. Khoroshev briefly shows off the front and back panel of the phone and then proceeds to place it down onto a nondescript wireless charging port.
This is the first time we’ve seen anything suggesting that Google’s next-generation mobile device will come with tether-free charging capabilities. And the video does not specify whether it would utilize the popular Qi-standard for wireless charging or the phone’s charging capacity. But it seems that at least one of Google’s 2018 smartphone releases will follow Apple and Samsung’s footsteps in providing built-in wireless charging.
Khoroshev also posted a series of photos that he claims were all taken on the 3 XL. Evidence that some people have gotten their hands on the unreleased phone has recently bubbled to the surface, but there’s no evidence that the aforementioned images were taken on the 3 XL.
This most recent leak corroborates previous glimpses of the phone that also show it with a deeply notched front display, a feature that has garnered little love by the Pixel fans of Reddit.
Don’t think that the 3 XL’s potential wireless charging capability will mean Google is ditching wired charging altogether. An earlier leaked video disclosing a full unboxing of the upcoming smartphone revealed that it will come with the usual USB-C charger as well as a pair of earbuds.
Apple and Samsung were way ahead of Google in implementing native wireless charging. It would make sense that Google wants to play catch up with its competitors.
The current Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL were released in October of 2017, so expect to hear more about the company’s upcoming handsets as summer makes way to fall.
