Google starts selling 3-in-1 charging dock for Pixel phones, Watch, and Buds – just not the one you want

Ben Schoon | Oct 15 2024 - 12:30 pm PT

The Google Store has started selling a new 3-in-1 charging dock for your Pixel phone, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Buds.

Available now for $69.99, the Wasserstein 3-in-1 charging dock for Pixel is designed to let you charge a Pixel smartphone, a Pixel Watch, and a pair of Pixel Buds all at the same time. This is an updated version of a stand the company launched in 2023, with this new version being better optimized for Pixel Watch (as the previous model was mainly designed for Fitbit watches).

But, sadly, it’s still a charging dock that relies entirely on USB-C.

For the Pixel Watch 2, Watch 3, or the various compatible Fitbit products, you’ll use the magnetic pin-based charging system. But for your phone and Pixel Buds, you’ll use USB-C.

The Google Store listing for this product doesn’t make that immediately clear, but under “power” clearly references “front” and “rear” USB-C outputs used for the phone and earbuds, respectively. It’s a fine solution, but with Qi in place on almost all Pixel devices including earbuds at this point, it feels a bit clunky.

There are obvious longevity benefits here, as well as compatibility and speed benefits. For instance, Pixel Fold (and 9 Pro Fold) and Pixel A-series devices are limited to 7.5W charging over Qi, and Pixel Buds A-Series lack Qi entirely. So USB-C is technically faster and would result in less heat too.

If you’re interested in trying out this 3-in-1 Pixel charging dock, you can order it now via the Google Store. If you’re looking for something we Qi, we previously took a look at a third-party option that works well. Google is also selling a dedicated Pixel Watch charging stand from Spigen for $25 (also available on Amazon).