Image credit – Marques Brownlee
The Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P feature USB Type-C ports. Given that Type-C is expected to become the new standard sometime in the near future, it makes sense that OEMs are starting get on board, and we expect that more will follow in the future. That being said apart from the convenience of being able to plug in the cables regardless of which side is up/down, here’s another nifty trick you might not have figured out.
According to a recent tweet by Marques Brownlee, it turns out that the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P are apparently capable of charging each other via USB Type-C, as you can see in the image above. Since both phones use the Type-C connector, getting a Type-C cable means that you could plug both phones in together and they will charge each other.
How does it work? According to Brownlee, it seems that whichever phone you plug in first will act as the power source. However according to Android Police, they claim there are settings that allows users to choose which device acts as the power source, along with options of transferring files and photos. Either way it is still pretty cool.
They also point out that for now, it seems that the feature only works properly with the new Nexus 5X and 6P devices. They tested it with other Type-C devices and found that charging isn’t a two-way street like it is with both Nexus handsets, so if you do have Type-C handsets lying around and you’re trying to activate this feature, your mileage might vary.