55% in 5 minutes: the Pixel 11 could reportedly charge at this blistering speed

 

That said, a reliable tipster, EvLeaks, recently posted three official-looking marketing images for the Pixel 11, one of which essentially says that the device would support ultra-fast wired charging, which will ensure that it reaches 55% charge in just 5 minutes. The company further mentions that the "speeds are based on using a 30W USB-C charger (for the Pixel 11 Pro) and a 45W USB-C charger (for the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL)." Charging more than half of the battery in around 5 minutes is definitely a wild claim.

That number doesn't really pass the sniff test

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I really think that the number is totally incorrect for a couple of reasons. The Big G has historically been very conservative about the battery capacity and the charging speed of its smartphones. In order to reach 55% charge in just 5 minutes, the phone hardware should be compatible with an extremely fast charging system, which doesn't seem to be the case with the Pixel 11, as it is reported to only support 30W wired charging.

Such blistering speed is possible on devices that are compatible with ultra-fast charging and support charging systems like OPPO's 240W SUPERVOOC technology, which is reported to fully charge a 4,500 mAh cell in about 9 minutes. There is a strong possibility that it's a typo in the leaked marketing images. Instead of 55% in 5 minutes, Google actually meant 55% in 30 minutes, which is what the Pixel 10 offers, which also supports 30W wired charging and comes with an almost identical battery capacity.

Other details about the Pixel 11

In addition to revealing the lightning-fast charging speed of the base Pixel 11, the surfaced marketing images also provide details about the camera module and zoom capability. Google has reportedly used the thinnest camera module bar in its upcoming Pixel phone. You'll also get a 30x Super Zoom option, as per the details mentioned in the leaked image.

Lastly, the vanilla variant is also reported to offer up to 30 hours of battery life. It's worth noting that this doesn't mean that you would be able to actively use the phone non-stop for 30 hours on a single charge.

This number might have been achieved by Google under typical mixed-use testing of the device. We will definitely conduct in-house testing of the device when it becomes available and let you all know if the claim of a 30-hour battery life holds up.

Google should offer faster charging

While the claim of 55% charge in 5 minutes is certainly false and most likely a typo, I really want Pixel phones to offer faster charging. In our in-house testing, the Pixel 10 took almost 1 hr and 30 minutes to fully charge its 4970 mAh battery using 30 W wired charging.

That isn't the best number if you compare it with other flagships like the OnePlus 15 that supports 80 W wired charging, which was able to charge its massive 7300 mAh battery in just 45 minutes. I'm not demanding a major jump, but the Mountain View giant should at least make 50 W wired charging the standard in its Pixel phones.