How fast is the Google Pixel 8a charging speed?
The Google Pixel 8a can charge at up to 18W over USB-C using a PD 3.0 charger. Wirelessly, the phone can support speeds up to 7.5W with a Qi charger.
Budget charging speeds on a budget phone
The Google Pixel 8a, like Google’s previous budget options, offers most of the performance of the flagship phone with a few cutbacks. One of the cutbacks is charging speed which offers the same speeds as the outgoing Pixel 7a. Despite this, for a budget-oriented phone, the Pixel 8a charges decently fast.
Using the included USB-C cable and a PD 3.0-compatible charger, such as one of the best USB-C chargers, you can charge the Pixel 8a at up to 18W. Even so, in our Pixel 7a review, we noted that it would take well over an hour to fully charge the phone and that phone has a slightly smaller battery than the 8a.
The phone also supports wireless charging at up to 7.5W if you’ve got the right Qi-compatible charger. The wireless charging on this phone won’t be quick and is really only sufficient for keeping your battery topped up during the day or charging the battery overnight while you sleep. Otherwise, you may find yourself waiting hours to see 100% at the top of the phone.
If you think you’ll need some more juice before you get home for the night, it’s a good idea to pick up one of the best power banks to make sure you’ve always got some battery capacity at the ready. You’ll also want to pick up a fast USB-C charger to make sure you get the full 18W charging speed since Google doesn’t include one in the box.
Comparing the Pixel 8a to the Pixel 7a, there have been some nice tech updates, but charging isn’t one of them. It would have been nice to see Google offer faster charging speeds on this mid-range device, especially considering many Samsung Galaxy A-series and OnePlus phones support much faster charging. Even the cheap Galaxy A15 5G supports 25W wired charging.
As for the other Pixels you can pick up, the older Pixel 7 and 7 Pro phones aren’t that much faster at 20W and 23W respectively. If you can afford the upgrade, the Pixel 8 supports 27W charging while the Pixel 8 Pro supports up to 30W wired charging. If you’re a heavy user and think you’ll need to top up your phone midday, choosing a more expensive Pixel could be worth it for you.
Not so fast charging
The Pixel 8a is Google’s latest and greatest budget phone, though charging speeds remain untouched compared to the Pixel 7a. Still, with the fast Tensor G3 SoC and seven years of Pixel updates, this is still a great phone.
