How does fast charging work in principle?
Conventional chargers or a USB port are capable of supplying the device with a voltage of 5V with a current of 0.5 to 2.5A . Under such conditions, modern smartphones and tablets take a very long time to charge: from several hours or even overnight.
Fast charging is characterized by increased current and voltage. In different standards, these values can reach up to 20V and 5A .
In addition, there is feedback from the battery, allowing the adapter to flexibly change charge parameters.
For fast charging, you need both support for the standard on the part of the gadget and an appropriate charger. If there is a mismatch, fast charging simply will not occur, charging the consumer in the usual slow way.
For example, Quick Charge uses the INOV (Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage) mode, which uses signals from the battery to determine the optimal voltage for charging.
A completely discharged battery (or close to such a state) can be safely charged at high voltage, “filling” half the capacity in record minutes, and closer to the end of charging, you need to reduce the voltage so as not to overcharge and damage the battery.
That is why all manufacturers of fast charging technology like to boast about the first fast charge cycle , reporting that 40-60% will be replenished in 30-60 minutes.
Almost everyone equips their manufactured devices with a “unique” standard, tying the buyer to accessories of their own production.
Here are the most common ones.
What is fast charging of a smartphone
Smartphone manufacturers were well aware of the charging problems and began to develop possible solutions. One such solution was fast charging. This is a technology designed to significantly speed up the standard process of charging a smartphone battery. Accelerating charging is achieved in different ways. This could be an increase in the current that the smartphone consumes while charging, or an increase in voltage.
Samsung charger with fast charging function.
To implement such charging, a special charger with a built-in chip is used, which controls the output voltage and current. Also, for fast charging to work, you need support from the smartphone itself. This means that you will not be able to quickly charge your old smartphone or feature phone even if you connect it to a new fast charger.
Different smartphone manufacturers call fast charging technology differently. The most popular fast charging technology for smartphones is Quick Charge technology from Qualcomm. Quick Charge appeared back in 2013 and became the first such solution. In addition to it, there are other fast charging technologies, these are:
- Pump Express (Mediatek);
- Rapid Charge (HTC);
- Turbo Charge (Motorola);
- Fast Charge (Samsung);
- Super Charge (Huawei);
- Boost Master (ASUS);
- VOOC Flash Charge (OPPO).
Quick Charge
At the moment, this is the most common fast charging standard from Qualcomm . It is supported by most Android smartphones with modern Snapdragon processors.
The first generation was released back in 2013. Since then, the technology has gone through three rounds of evolution.
Charging became faster, and the module was supplemented with an increasing number of new chips, not only to speed up the process, but also to increase safety.
Now the output power of some Quick Charges reaches 24W , but most manufacturers limit this figure to 18W.
Thus, the fourth generation Quick Charge in 15-20 minutes .
Fast charging Quick Charge
As we have already said, Quick Charge fast charging technology appeared in 2013. The first version of this technology was not anything revolutionary. A smartphone with Quick Charge support could be charged with a current of 2 Amps, while most smartphones of that period were charged with a current of 1 Ampere. At the same time, the charging voltage and other parameters in Quick Charge 1.0 remained the same, only the current changed. This solution made it possible to speed up smartphone charging by 30 percent.
Qualcomm Quick Charge logo.
The next step in the development of fast charging from Qualcomm was Quick Charge 2.0 technology. It appeared in 2015 and offered many more changes to the charging process for smartphones. Now, in addition to the increased current, fast charging also increased the voltage, which could now reach 9, 12 or even 20 volts. This increase in voltage made it possible to speed up the charging process of smartphones by another 60 percent.
Naturally, you cannot apply such voltage to the first phone or smartphone you come across. Therefore, a charger that supports Quick Charge 2.0 uses the D+/D− lines to determine whether the connected device supports this standard. If there is such support, then the charger raises the voltage, but if there is no support, then the charger will charge with a voltage of 5 Volts. This check ensures security. Thanks to this, you don’t risk burning your old device if you suddenly connect it to Quick Charge.
Qualcomm continues to work on its fast charging technology and regularly releases new versions. So, in 2016, Quick Charge 3.0 and Quick Charge 4.0 appeared, and in 2021, Quick Charge 4+. These versions of fast charging received finer voltage control and support for the USB Type C connector.
Power Delivery (USB-PD)
A less common fast charging standard, which is used by Apple in manufactured gadgets.
Fast charging is possible out of the box using Apple 29, 30, 61, or 87 W USB-C power adapters.
In addition, Apple supports third-party accessories certified to the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) standard.
Fast charging supported on iPhone 8/8 Plus//X R
/Xs/Xs Max.
For example, when using a compatible charger, you can charge your iPhone 8 to 50% in 30 minutes .
AFC (Adaptive Fast Charging)
Samsung models . The technology dates back to the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy S6.
Chargers supporting this standard can operate in two modes: standard 5V at 2A and fast 9V at 1.67A. This charging technology is compatible with Quick Charge 2.0 from Qualcomm.
Samsung provides the following statistics: when using Adaptive Fast Charging, a 3300 mAh battery is charged up to 60% in 30 minutes , and about 15% can be charged in the standard way during this time.
Which smartphones support this feature?
Fast charging support depends on:
- chipset installed in the device;
- implementation of an advanced power chain.
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Compatibility with fast charging technology is established at the stage of creating a single-chip system, for which a separate chip is responsible. For example, a manufacturer installs a Snapdragon 665 with QC 3.0 support in a smartphone, but the device does not support it due to the brand’s reluctance to invest in an advanced power circuit. In the case of proprietary technologies like VOOC, the implementation of the knowledge base depends on design features: installation of special batteries, connector, power adapter.
Sometimes there are exceptions to the rules. The Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphone was launched based on MediaTek G90T but is compatible with Qualcomm's QC 3.0.
Note! Smartphone support for fast charging is indicated in the technical specifications of the device on the official website or box. The technology only works in combination with a proprietary power adapter or a licensed Power Bank.
Pump Express
This fast charging technology is being developed by MediaTek . At the moment, the third generation of Pump Express 3.0 is actively used.
During charging, the power supply actively monitors the battery temperature and changes the operating mode depending on changes in the indicator.
A prerequisite for this type of fast charging is the presence of a MediaTek processor and a Type-C port on board.
One of the supported devices – Meizu Pro 6 can fully charge a 2560 mAh battery in an hour !
Fast charging on Samsung has disappeared – reasons and what to do?
To begin with, we note that a full battery charge within the time stated by the manufacturer is guaranteed only if you are not using the phone during the process and there are no individual applications running on it in the background. Any running process will reduce the speed of the process to one degree or another, depending on the energy consumption of the application processes. The biggest drain on battery power is when the screen is on and running multimedia files. If you notice that your phone is charging too slowly, check to see if you have additional services or applications enabled.
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Also check if the option is active using the special section in the settings mentioned above. You may have previously accidentally or intentionally disabled it.
If charging is pathologically slow or does not work at all, check the functionality of the adapter itself using another device, and the connector on the phone using another cable. If you notice a malfunction, contact the service center to correct the problem.
TurboPower
The standard is developed and supported by Lenovo , and is currently used in Motorola . It is based on the Quick Charge 2.0 standard with backward compatibility support. The device requires a Snapdragon processor to operate.
TurboPower developers decided to increase the charging power to 25.8W. The charger is capable of delivering from 5 to 12V depending on the charging stage.
80% in 45 minutes using TurboPower charging , and will be fully charged in only 80 minutes.
Is it possible to quickly charge old phones?
Yes, but older and cheaper smartphones often use outdated standards, such as Quick Charge 2.0 or 3.0, and have weaker chargers. That's why their batteries refill slower than new flagships as standard.
The situation can be improved slightly by replacing the standard device with a more powerful one, but compatible with the supported charging technology.
VOOC Flash Charging/Dash Charge
Chinese electronics manufacturer BBK has developed and implemented its own technology for accelerated battery charging.
It is being implemented in devices under the Oppo under the name VOOC Flash Charging, and in OnePlus the same technology is called Dash Charge.
Charging at a normal voltage of 5V produces power up to 25W. Thus, a 3000 mAh battery is charged to 75% in 30 minutes if the smartphone and power supply support VOOC Flash Charging.
OnePlus devices have a charging power limit of 20W and the need to use the original charging cable.
At the same time, Dash Charge charges a 3000 mAh battery in 30 minutes to 63% .
Super mCharge
A development with this name was demonstrated last year by Meizu .
The most powerful of all 11V mobile chargers can deliver up to 55W of power. This is comparable to the power supply of some modern laptops.
This charging method imposes severe restrictions on the cable used. Only a special cord with a smart module and additional protection can power the device as quickly as possible.
The creators of the technology claim that a 3000 mAh battery can be fully charged in 20 minutes .
