Now that we have a universal charging port for most electronics, thanks to the EU, we need the EU to do the same thing for smartwatches. Things are starting to get out of hand.
Currently, there are three major brands with Wear OS on their smartwatches. That’s Samsung, OnePlus, and Google. All of which have different chargers.
Samsung arguably has the best smartwatch charger; it’s essentially a smaller Qi wireless charging puck, and it hasn’t really changed for many generations now. While OnePlus has a square charging puck with pogo pins, Google is using a new side-mounted charger with charging contacts on the Pixel Watch 4, which we broke news of this morning.
Why is this an issue? Well, it’s really not for most people. But if you have a OnePlus Watch 2 and have decided to update to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, you can’t use that OnePlus Watch 2 charger. So if you wanted to have another spare charger for your new Galaxy Watch 8, you’ll have to buy another one. Thankfully, Google, OnePlus, and Samsung all sell their chargers separately as well, so you could purchase a second one.
What universal charger should companies adopt?
When it comes to wearables, the best option for a universal charger is definitely going to be a form of Qi wireless charging. This is what the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch both use. Though, those two chargers are not compatible because they use opposite magnets.
It would be even better if they could use the same Qi2 charging standard that phones use. Allowing you to have a single wireless charger for your phone, earbuds, and your watch. That’s not only great for your bedside table or your desk, but also for traveling. It means that you can travel with a single charger.
Having a single charger type that can charge every smartwatch would also eliminate e-waste. This was one of the big factors that the EU stated in its Digital Markets Act that forced Apple to bring USB-C to the iPhone. Think about how many chargers get thrown out when you upgrade to a new smartwatch that has a different connector. There are loads of them. And especially for Google and Samsung, where the charger is connected to the USB-C cable. With OnePlus (and OPPO), the puck is at least separate from the cable, so you’re only throwing out the puck instead of the whole charger.
Pogo pin chargers are like MagSafe for wearables
On the flip side, I can understand why these companies go with Pogo Pins for their chargers. And it’s kind of the same reason why Apple introduced MagSafe for its wireless charging. That is to keep the device on the charger properly, so that it doesn’t slide off and end up not charging. This also helps optimize the charging speed, so that it can deliver the maximum amount of power possible. Whereas, if it were not aligned properly, there’d be a lot of wasted power, and it would also make the device quite warm.
Better accessories to charge our Phones and Watches
Another reason for adopting a universal charging puck for smartwatches would be for accessories. As someone who was deep in the Apple ecosystem for a while, I have quite a few charging docks that are able to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and something else, like a pair of AirPods. on Android, that doesn’t really exist.
Samsung does have its own 3-in-1 wireless charger that it debuted earlier this year with the Galaxy S25. It took months before it went on sale, and now it seems to be out of stock quite often. It’s also not cheap, not at all. It costs $149 and has a spot to charge your phone (which is Qi2 so any phone can charge there), a spot for your watch, and then on the base you can charge your earbuds or another phone. Unfortunately, since the watch charger is Samsung’s, it means you can’t use your Pixel Watch or OnePlus Watch on this charger with your Galaxy S25.
That’s a prime example of why we need a universal standard for charging.
European Union, if you’re listening, fix this
While I don’t want the government getting involved and forcing companies to adopt or change how they do things, this is something that’s gotta be fixed. Give us a single charging puck that can be used on the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch, and OnePlus Watch. The EU could even go as far as forcing all wearables to use the same puck, though that might not work on some fitness bands like the Galaxy Fit.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 8
Samsung’s most advanced wearable yet – the Galaxy Watch 8.
Obviously, one of the reasons for these different pucks is to keep users in their walled garden. This doesn’t just apply to Apple, either. If you’ve been using a Galaxy Watch for the past 3-4 generations, you might have a handful of chargers. making it harder to switch over to a Pixel Watch, where none of those chargers would work. So, creating a universal charging puck would allow for better cross-compatibility.
Finally, a universal charging puck would also help with innovation. Because companies would no longer need to spend as many R&D resources on a charging solution, if everyone is using the same one. So companies could spend more on design, battery life, fitness tracking, and more.
Do you think we need a universal charging standard for smartwatches?
The post Stop the Puck Madness: We Need a Universal Smartwatch Charger appeared first on Android Headlines.
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