One of the infuriating things about USB Power Delivery up to this point is that unlike phone-based solutions like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge or more proprietary adapter-based systems like Huawei’s SuperCharge, it just didn’t go fast.
Many setups are still stuck on the USB 1.0 general power source spec with the rate of just half a watt.
Well, things have changed with USB-C — it has the potential for up 100W charging. But given dependent factors surround the power source and recipient, smartphones don’t even come near that point yet. Instead, Google has equipped Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners with 18W blocks.
One of the company’s USB-C gurus, Benson Leung, wrote a Google+ post last week implying a step up in the supported top charging rate for those phones.
“New this year is that these phones can support up to 27W charging from compliant PD chargers,” Leung wrote.
He then made an edit to his post clarifying that, no, you can’t charge a Pixel phone at 27 watts yet, just that you can use a 27-watt adapter to charge the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL at 18 watts.
“While the phones may be able to negotiate more power using USB Power Delivery when connected to a higher wattage charger, there are other factors which may limit the speed at which it charges the battery.”