How one single image may have convinced me to buy the Google Pixel 10

Google Pixel 10 leaks have been nonstop over the last few weeks. From device renders and specs to Tensor G5 details, little has been left to the imagination.

What we’ve seen so far has painted a promising, if not overly exciting, picture for Google’s next phones. The Tensor G5 should be the highlight, thanks to its new 3nm design and Google’s switch from Samsung Foundry to TSMC. The base Pixel 10 getting a telephoto camera is exciting, too.

While the leaks have been fine, I haven’t seen anything that’s made me think I need to pre-order a Pixel 10 as soon as it goes on sale. However, one recently leaked photo may have completely changed that.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Pixel 10 series has been its support — or lack thereof — for Qi2 magnetic charging. In June, Android Authority found evidence of Google developing magnetic charging accessories for the Pixel 10, strongly suggesting that the phones would have magnets built into them (as we’ve seen for years with MagSafe on iPhones).

Not long after this, another report claimed that, while Google was creating magnetic accessories, the Pixel 10 would need a magnetic case to work with them — similar to the OnePlus 13 and its 50W magnetic charger. In other words, it sounded like Google would give us yet another half-baked approach to magnetic chargers and accessories.

But thanks to a new leak from Evan Blass this week, we finally have an answer.

Among the many Pixel 10 renders Blass shared, the one that tipped the scales for me is the one seen above. It’s a render of the base Pixel 10 with what appears to be a magnetic charging puck attached to its back.

The critical thing to note is that the Pixel 10 doesn’t have a case on, and yet, the charging puck is attached to the phone just like you’d see a MagSafe charger on a modern iPhone. In other words, it’s all but confirmed that the Pixel 10 will have magnets built into the phone itself.

More than anything else we’ve seen about the Pixel 10 so far, this is the most exciting leak in my eyes. Ever since Apple introduced MagSafe to the iPhone in 2020, no major Android brand has been able to replicate a similar system for its phones — even with the Qi2 standard opening that door in 2023. It was starting to look like it might never happen, but assuming this leak is real (which it appears to be), the Pixel 10 will finally be the first Android phone to bring magnetic accessories to the masses. And that’s a big deal.

“Joe, they’re just magnets. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?” I hear you asking. It’s a valid question and one I’ll happily answer with this: magnets rule.

As someone who daily drives an Android phone and an iPhone simultaneously (it’s important to know what the enemy is up to), I’ve been living with MagSafe accessories for a while now. Without a doubt, MagSafe is my favorite thing about the iPhone in 2025, and it has been for years at this point.

When I go to bed at night, placing my iPhone on a magnetic charging stand, confident that it’s aligned properly, is far and away better than any non-magnetic wireless charger. When I leave the house, slapping a MagSafe wallet onto the back of my iPhone has become my favorite way to conveniently carry my ID and credit cards. And when I’m traveling and my battery is running low, magnetic power banks, such as OnePlus’s excellent Slim Magnetic Power Bank, are a godsend.

These are all massive conveniences throughout daily use, but having them relegated to my iPhone and not whatever Android phone I’m carrying has long been an enormous frustration. I want it to be my Android phone that I’m putting on my magnetic charger, attaching my wallet to, and using with a magnetic battery pack. Soon, the Pixel 10 can be that Android phone.

While this has technically been possible via magnetic cases, it’s not the same experience. As someone who prefers to use my phone naked, I don’t want to deal with a bulky case just to use my MagSafe accessories. And even if you are a case person, MagSafe/magnetic cases for Android phones aren’t nearly as prolific as they are for iPhones.

The Pixel 10 having that magnetic array built-in isn’t just great news for people like me who love magnetic accessories and hate cases. It’ll also put pressure on case-makers to double down their efforts on creating magnetic cases and other accessories. Magnets will now be a core feature for the Pixel 10, rather than an enthusiast afterthought as it currently is for a phone like the Pixel 9.

If you haven’t yet bought into the world of MagSafe/magnetic accessories, I understand if you still think I’m blowing this way out of proportion. But having experienced firsthand the wonders of MagSafe on the iPhone, the prospect of finally getting that convenience on an Android phone is everything I’ve been waiting for.

That’s why that leaked Pixel 10 image is so important to me. It’s the confirmation I’ve been waiting for that the Pixel 10 will ignite Android’s magnetic future, and I couldn’t be more excited to buy the phone next month.