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If you own a Pixel phone and want a nice accessory, the latest Google stand is not a must-have. It does a good job of fast wireless charging for $79. Unless you are a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro owner and you are really sold on one of the stand's handful of extra features supported by your phone, then you would be better off saving your money and getting an inexpensive third-party charger.
The second iteration of the Pixel Stand is a fast wireless charging device. You don't have to own a phone to use it, but you will need a 6 or a 6 Pro to get the fastest charging speeds. If you own a Pixel 6, you will want to download the January 2022 security update for a whole bunch of reasons.
It does multi-tasking while charging your phone. While your phone is docked on the stand, it can display images from your photos on a digital picture frame. When you first set up your phone, you can specify which albums you want it to pull images from, and photos are displayed in batches of five to 10 at a time.
Noupscale is a file on thechorusasset.com.
Extras like a digital picture frame are possible thanks to the Pixel Stand setup.
The photo was taken by Allison Johnson.
The features are geared towards bedside use. You can turn on the do not disturb option when the phone is placed on the charge, or you can have the display turn off in a dark room. There is an alarm that will light up your display in 15 minutes before it goes off. You can specify a window of time for this feature, so it isn't applied to other alarms throughout the day.
Its main job is to charge your phone. When I put the phone on the stand, it would start charging, but then stop before I could pick it up again. This didn't cause any problems, it just gave me a few moments of concern, as I tried to figure out if it was mounted on the stand correctly.
Wireless charging on a phone that isn't made by OnePlus can be done in 23W with the Pixel Stand 2. It took a completely empty Pixel 6 Pro battery from zero to 100 percent in less than two hours. It took me 30 minutes to top off the battery on the Pixel 6 because it took the fastest charging mode. The Stand has a slower 15W charging for other phones and devices.
Noupscale is a file on thechorusasset.com.
The stand has images from the albums that you specify.
The photo was taken by Allison Johnson.
The photo frame feature is more than I thought it would be. I have a lot of photos of my four-month-old that I like to look through, but I am not sure I want to commit to owning a dedicated digital picture frame. Having them displayed at my desk on my phone is a nice middle ground, as I get to see and appreciate the many, many photos I take without having to use another device. I am sure that my colleagues who review smart home tech could direct me to a number of smart displays that do this kind of thing, but I am not.
The feature tends to pick favorites and show them over and over. I tend to shoot more landscape photos than portrait ones. You can end the current slideshow by tapping the screen and then using the lock screen to shuffle the selection and start a new one.
Noupscale is a file on thechorusasset.com.
The Stand has features that make it a good bedside companion.
The features of the Stand work well. The sunrise alarm is a good way to wake up, and the ability to turn off the screen in a dark room makes it a good bedside companion. The main draw of the Stand is fast wireless charging. I don't need the fastest speeds if I'm charging my phone overnight. The photo frame wouldn't feature much since my phone doesn't spend much time on the bedside dock during the day.
While using the stand, I encountered some problems with the assistant. After I tap the Assistant icon on the lock screen, the phone will register my voice commands but will ignore everything it heard me say and display a text on the screen. Accessing the assistant by saying, "Hey Google," on the lock screen works just fine, though, and that's not a Stand feature, just something you can enable on any phone.
Noupscale is a file on thechorusasset.com.
A built-in fan is included in the second-gen Stand.
The built-in fan is quiet, but if the fan is running at full speed, the assistant cannot hear me. If you choose a quiet charging mode, you will miss out on the super-fast charging speeds.
The standard charging stands on Amazon are $30, but the Pixel Stand 2 is more expensive at $79. If you own a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro and want fast wireless charging, then the Stand (2nd Gen) is a great option for 80 bucks. If you are only interested in the bedside or photo frame features, you can save yourself some money and get a standard Qi charging device. Adding a digital picture frame to your cart would be the same price.
Allison Johnson is a photographer.
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