All leaks point to Google making modest yet important generational upgrades to the Pixel Watch 4 for a better experience. As part of the refresh, the company will seemingly ditch the POGO pins and add wireless charging support. Or at least that’s what the initially leaked renders led us to believe. Turns out, Google is still sticking with the POGO pins — it is just moving them to the left.
New renders shared by Android Headlines show the Pixel Watch 4’s new charger and how the watch will sit on the charger. Reportedly, the watch will sport an indentation on the left for the two charging pins.
With the change in location for the pins, Google is also purportedly redesigning the charger and giving it a dock-like look. The charging puck looks unusual in the shared renders, unlike any of the chargers we have seen so far for any Wear OS or Apple Watch.
One potential benefit of this change is that the Pixel Watch 4 could double as a bedside clock while charging, making it easier to check the time and battery level at a glance. The bad news? Your existing Pixel Watch charger won’t be compatible.
A previous leak indicates that the Pixel Watch 4 will charge up to 25% faster than the Pixel Watch 3. So, it seems the relocated charging pins and dock will bring several benefits; you just need to give up on your existing Pixel Watch chargers and like the new charging position.
Relocated charging pins may help with repairability
Google seemingly relocated the charging pins to benefit the new array of sensors on the back of the Pixel Watch 4 that will power many of the rumored new health features. It will also supposedly help with repairability, something which Pixel Watches currently lack.
Google will include this new charging dock with the Pixel Watch 4 and, hopefully, also sell it separately. You can currently buy a spare Pixel Watch charger from the Google Store for $29.99. Like before, though, it won’t bundle a USB-C power brick with the watch itself.
We won’t have to wait long to know more about the Pixel Watch 4’s new charging solution, with Google’s Made by Google event scheduled for August 20.
