Google’s Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X come with USB Type-C charging, wireless nowhere to be found

We said recently that Google would not bring microSD card slots to the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. Google announced both smartphones in San Francisco today at around 12 noon EST, and, as sure as the rumor, there was no microSD card slot to be found on either device.

The same can be said for the rumor about the lack of wireless charging on the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. Instead of taking the route Samsung has taken with its Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, and Galaxy Note5, Google decided to bring USB Type-C charging to the two new Nexus smartphones, which will enable faster data transfers and charging.

Google’s decision to go with USB Type-C follows OnePlus in its decision to bring the new technology to charging and inaugurate the “reversible cable” era, but again, this fits Google’s mindset: after all, Google isn’t going to offer consumers the chance to pick up a Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X in retail stores: the company’s going to offer them online at the Google Store – which is out of the reach of most consumers who want to test the devices first before buying them. In contrast, current micro-USB cables are in abundance, and can even be accessed through third-party manufacturers. This makes traditional USB cables the better way to go, since many consumers have dozens of unused micro-USB cables lying around the house.

USB Type-C has its benefits (as has been stated), but wireless charging truly is the wave of the future. The idea of not having to plug up your smartphone into a wall adapter and worry about burning or dying batteries due to electric shock is something that hasn’t quite taken off yet, but it will. For now though, Google may have gone with USB Type-C to maintain the affordability of the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X.