If you’re picking up a Google Pixel 9, you may be tempted to order yourself one of the new 45W USB-C charging bricks at the same time. The Pixel 9 will only come with a USB-C cable, and no adapter to plug it into the wall socket, and obviously you’ll want something that can charge your new phone at the fastest possible speeds.
But just because Google has been talking about the 45W charging brick in all its Pixel 9 marketing doesn’t mean it’s actually the best option. In fact, if you’re thinking of picking up a Pixel 9 or Pixel 9 Pro, the 45W charger is probably going to be a waste of money — especially if you already have Google’s 30W charger.
That’s because the only Pixel 9 phone that can benefit from a 45W charger, compared to a 30W power brick, is the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The largest phone supports up to 37W charging speeds, which is quite the upgrade considering the Pixel 8 Pro is capped at 30W charging.
However the smaller Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro models are limited to 27W wired charging. Meaning picking up a 45W charging brick for either phone would be overkill, and potentially not worth the $30 you’d have to pay for it. It’s unclear what the charging speed for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is because all Google told us is that it supports “fast charging,” which could mean anything.
Google released its 30W charger back in 2021, so there’s a solid chance long-time Pixel owners might already have one. In which case, you don’t need to pick up a 45W charger unless you’re picking up a Pixel 9 Pro XL. The same is true if you already have a 30W charger that supports USB Power Delivery,
The 30W charger is not available from Google any more, but it can still be found at a number of retailers for less than the 45W charger. Amazon is selling the brick for $22, while Walmart has it for $25 — which works out cheaper for you. It won’t take long to find cheaper options either, with Amazon Basics selling a 30W GaN charger with USB-PD support for $15.
The best part is that you don’t even have to wait long for those alternatives to arrive. Unlike the Google 45W charger, which is still officially in pre-order and won’t be arriving until August 22 — the same day the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL arrive.
