After a flood of leaks and rumors, Google finally unveiled the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a 5G at its hardware event a couple days ago. Now, unlike the Pixel 4a’s polycarbonate chassis, the Pixel 5 comes with an aluminum chassis, just as the leaks suggested. The Pixel 5, however, even with its aluminum back panel, surprisingly, supports wireless charging. Mindblown? Curious about how it works?
Now, if you don’t know, since the concept of wireless charging became popular in the smartphone industry, companies have had to rethink their material choices. This is because the electrical signals from the wireless charger cannot get through materials like aluminum.
These signals can only pass through polycarbonate (better known as plastic) and glass. This is why modern smartphone manufacturers mostly go with a glass back to support wireless charging. So, what is Google’s solution for Pixel 5?
Aluminum Chassis with a “Bio-Resin Skin”
The Google Pixel 5 has an unusual yet productive design. Although the chassis of the device is made up of aluminum, the company cut out a physical hole in the middle. It enables Google to bake an ‘ultra-thin skin’ in place of that missing aluminum chassis which, according to Google, if made of a “bio-resin” material.
Now, the bio-resin layer is actually a very thin yet strong layer of plastic that enables the electric signals to pass through to the wireless charging coil inside. Moreover, the tech giant says that users won’t be able to feel the coil underneath the sturdy bio-resin layer.
This is a pretty innovative design choice to enable wireless charging (as well as reverse wireless charging) for aluminum-made devices. However, as there is a layer of plastic on top of the aluminum chassis, users won’t be able to feel the cold aluminum on their skin. Instead, they will feel the polycarbonate layer when they hold the device, which is kind of disappointing.
You can check out Google’s latest Pixel devices on its official online store.
