Here’s how many of our readers said they’ll buy a charger with the Pixel 6

Damien Wilde | Aug 30 2021 - 5:00 am PT

The lack of an in-the-box charger means that if you want access to faster-charging methods with the upcoming Pixel 6 or 6 Pro, then you’ll have to stump up extra cash to buy one. To our surprise, the response from you, our readers, when we asked late last week was not quite what we expected.

We had a substantial response to the question about whether you will buy a new or separate charger with the Pixel 6 series. It’s undoubtedly a sore point, even despite Google’s protestations that this is an environmental decision to reduce the mountain of e-waste generated each year with massive tech product launches.

Google acknowledging that there is a problem with e-waste is a good thing. We’re sure that nobody is denying that aspect of this decision, and this issue lies with how it will be implemented. In theory, the reduction of accessories should lead to a reduction in the cost of the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro. Whether that will be the case remains to be seen, but it’s easy to see fans’ frustrations when there’s no cost saving passed on.

Regardless, it shocked us to see that over 50% – 50.1% to be precise – of our readers said that they won’t buy a separate charger with the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro. They will simply use their existing charger and/or cable. Maybe Google is right here? If 1 in 2 buyers do so, then that would amount to a significant reduction in chargers needing to be produced with the new devices.

While we don’t know for certain, EeZeEpEe noted that if the Pixel 6 does indeed include fast charging, they will be hoping the 65W USB-C charger that comes with the Pixelbook Go will be able to charge at higher speeds. We’ll admit that this is something we hadn’t initially anticipated but it would be great if this is the case come fall. One response we heard multiple times was that “fast charge kills the battery with heat” and is yet another salient point regarding a new power brick even though many smartphones include technology to mitigate against this effect. Many will likely stick with slow charging for this reason to prolong the life span of their Pixel 6.

32.4% of you out there said you will be buying a new charger with the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro, as you want access to faster-charging speeds. It’s an extra annoyance and potential upfront cost, but given the potential cost, understandably people want to see a charger still come in the box. Personally, I can understand why people see this as a “pure money grab,” but we still don’t know if the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will have their prices reduced to reflect the charger removal – although an eternal pessimist might say that prices will remain high.

Third-party charger makers will undoubtedly rub their hands together at the prospect of another device they can sell accessories for, but only 8.8% of you said you’d buy a power brick from firms such as Anker and Spigen. Aftermarket chargers likely won’t be made to the same high standards as official Pixel 6 chargers, but the quality of such add-ons has improved year-over-year as these firms have grown in much the same way that the biggest smartphone OEMs have. There is way less risk now in buying a charger or charge cable for the Pixel 6 – or any phone, for that matter.

Unsurprisingly, a minuscule portion of just 4.1% of you out there will buy a charger with the Pixel 6, as you simply don’t own a USB-C charger already. It took a long while for Android devices – and some Apple devices – to adopt the charging standard, but now they are so ubiquitous that it’s surprising when people don’t already own at least a cable or compatible power brick.

That left 4.6% of you out there telling us that you simply won’t buy the Pixel 6 or will be picking up another smartphone because of the lack of an in-the-box charger. That’s a fair point, especially as many affordable Androids still pack in the accessory without an effect on the entry pricing. However, we’re sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s easy to see that the industry will slowly phase out such “free” add-ons and extras over the coming years.

What do you think of these results? Surprised? Or are you struggling to care? Let us know down in the comments section below