I just want a new Pixel Stand with my Pixel 10, Google

The Pixel Stand debuted alongside the Pixel 3 and 3XL almost seven years ago, and it was my favorite accessory for those phones. Adding useful Google Assistant features and faster Qi charging made it a must-have accessory for Pixels, and I used it every day.

Outside of the iPhone and HMD Skyline supporting MagSafe and Qi2, respectively, wireless charging has been stagnant since then. 2021’s Pixel Stand 2 made some minor improvements to the Pixel Stand formula, but it wasn’t a significant leap. With rumours that Google plans to add Qi2 charging to the Pixel 10 series, I’m hoping those plans also include a Pixel Stand 3.

The Pixel Stand has always been more than just a wireless charger. It was the way you unlocked faster wireless charging and a handy Google Assistant-enabled always-on display. Even the Pixel 9 series can only reach its max wireless charging speeds on a Pixel Stand 2. On a standard Qi charger, the Pixel 9 Pro can only manage a measly 12W, while a Pixel Stand 2 can recharge the phone at 21W.

The faster speeds and unique always-on display are great features that I loved using back when I had a Pixel 3XL, but there’s a problem — Google stopped selling the Pixel Stand 2 in September 2024. Just a month after Google unveiled the Pixel 9 series, the accessory needed for them to charge at their advertised maximum speeds went away.

When I used an iPhone 16 Pro for a brief period last year, I loved having MagSafe built into the phone. I’d used cases that add magnets to my Android phones before, and continue to do so, but having everything in the device itself is a better system. Qi2 support in the Pixel 10 series presents an opportunity to improve on every aspect of the Pixel Stand.

Because of the way the wireless charging coils in the Pixel Stand 2 were positioned, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold wouldn’t work with the accessory. Likewise, the Pixel Buds couldn’t charge on the original Pixel Stand unless you placed the case on the charger upside down. That’s the problem when you make an accessory like this — future phones and devices won’t work if their size or shape makes it impossible for the charging coils to align.

Qi2 magnets solve this problem. If the Pixel Stand 3 had magnets, then any future Pixel would be able to align and charge correctly if they supported Qi2, either within the phone or in a case. Aside from faster charging, magnets would let you orient your phone in landscape instead of being locked in portrait. Combine that with an improved version of the always-on display the old Pixel Stand had, perhaps integrating Gemini Live or a scaled-down version of the Pixel Tablet’s Hub Mode, and a new Pixel Stand would be a compelling accessory.

Google is supposedly working on some “Pixelsnap” accessories, which could include the features I’ve brought up today, but until we see them in the flesh, there’s no way of knowing how good they’ll be or what functionality they’ll support.

Aside from software features and faster charging, there are other improvements I’d like to see. The Pixel Stand has always been on the larger side and is expensive at $80. Samsung’s Wireless Charger Single might not add any fancy software features to Galaxy phones, but it does have a cooling fan and only costs $55 on Amazon. Even the Wireless Charger Duo, which can charge a phone at 15W and a second device, including a Galaxy Watch, is often discounted to $55 from its $80 MSRP.

A new Pixel Stand should be a step up, bringing the cost, size, and weight down as much as possible to compete with accessories from other companies.

Google can’t retroactively add magnets to its older phones, but it absolutely should update them to support any software features a new Pixel Stand would offer. Some cases add MagSafe/Qi2 magnets to the Pixel 5, a phone from 2020, and those cases are even more popular with newer Pixels.

It’d be a bad look if Google didn’t let these features work with older Pixels. As mentioned earlier, the Pixel Stand required to fast charge a Pixel 9 was discontinued only a few weeks after those phones were available. Selling a phone with a feature nobody can use is disappointing, and if I were a Pixel 9 owner, I’d be miffed if Google locked something like this to the newer phones.

Do you want a new Pixel Stand? Let us know in the comments.