Fast Charging technology Archives - Gizmochina

Why Apple and Samsung Are Losing the Fast Charging Race to Chinese Smartphone Brands

Sean — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:44:30 +0000

Smartphone makers are known to push the boundaries in innovations. This can include photography, display, performance, battery life, and much more. While Apple and Samsung used to be pioneers in mobile devices, Chinese brands are often much ahead in terms of all of these innovations. One of the areas that the two veteran brands lag behind the most is its fast charging technology. So here’s why Samsung and Apple struggle to keep up in this area.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max’s fast charging rate

Chinese Brands are Leaders in Fast Charging

In recent years, Chinese smartphone makers have taken the fast charging game to the next level on smartphones. Flagship models from brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, and others often near or hit the 100W mark. There are even certain models from brands that have crossed the 200W charging rate as well. A great example of this is the Realme GT 5, which supports 240W fast charging.

These blazing fast charging rates stem from innovations made by significant investments in research and development. This is not only to improve battery efficiency but also to improve charging rates without compromising on safety or battery health.

The Old Excuse

As of right now, Samsung and Apple offer maximum charging speeds of around 45W. While this isn’t as terrible as it used to be, it used to be much slower before. But these still pale in comparison to the triple digit wattage offered by the Chinese competitors.

In the past, both brands have adopted a cautious stance regarding charging technology. They have a conservative approach, claiming an emphasis on maintaining battery health. Back in the day, this excuse made sense as the technology was unproven, immature, and not fully trusted. But Chinese smartphone manufacturers aren’t simply brute forcing the fast charging speeds anymore.

How Chinese Brands innovate in fast charging

There are plenty of ways that brands like Realme, Oppo, Xiaomi, and others improve fast charging. One of the best examples of this is the dual cell system. These companies found that charging two cells under the hood can boost the speed at which a device charges. The Xiaomi 13 Pro with a single cell managed to max out at 120W wired fast charging, while the iQOO 11 Pro was unveiled with 200W fast charging via dual cells. So charging two cells helps improve the charging rate without compromising the health of the battery.

In other words, the Chinese companies have basically addressed most of these issues, which Apple or Samsung could “reinvent” or “innovate” on. Many had initially criticized OnePlus for its bulky charging adapters that looked like a brick. But this brick actually helped keep the smartphone cool during fast charging. The new silicone-carbon anode batteries shipping in the new flagship phone also allow for higher battery capacity without an increase in battery size. Apple and Samsung are basically running out of reasons to not improve in this area.

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Realme’s 320W SuperSonic Charge shows us a future where phones charge in under 5 minutes

Sean — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:45:49 +0000

Chinese smartphone brands have been known to push the boundaries in fast charging technology. The standard of charging rates has risen, and Realme’s latest announcement offers us a glimpse of the future where charging your phone doesn’t even take 5 minutes. In a recent demo, the brand’s 320W SuperSonic Charge can be seen powering a phone up in nearly four and a half minutes.

Realme 320W SuperSonic Charge: What’s the hype?

During the 828 Fan Festival at its HQ in China, Realme unveiled the 320W SuperSonic Charge and showcased the technology in action. The demo showed a smartphone with a 4,420mAh battery pack, which fully charged in just under 4 minutes and 30 seconds. This prompted the brand to refer to it as the 4 minute “miracle”. During the presentation, the device was seen taking 1 minute to hit 26 percent capacity, with 50 percent charge reaching in under 2 minutes.

It isn’t simply a newer charger as it is backed by the world’s first folded battery and advanced safety solution. Following years of research, the Chinese brand found a way on making the batteries more compact and offer guaranteed safety for fast charging. Employing a quad cell battery, Realme was able to charge four individual cells at the same time. These batteries measure just 3mm in thickness but carry a 10 percent higher capacity.

What does it mean for the consumer?

This is the direct successor to the 240W fast charging benchmark which was set by the Realme GT 5. So we can also expect the 320W SuperSonic Charge to be equipped on an upcoming Realme phone as well. The announcement clearly highlights the innovations in battery and charging technologies and the standards may rise once again.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that every phone could soon power up blazingly fast. But such improvements in technology do trickle down. An example is that batteries could get slimmer without comprising on capacity, so phones get slimmer. As 300W charging sets a new standard, charging speeds of newer devices could also rise.

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Redmi may mass-produce 300W super-fast charging technology

Soumyakanti — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 09:49:53 +0000

According to the popular tipster Digital Chat Station, Xiaomi is reportedly planning to mass-produce the 300W super-fast charging technology that can fully charge a smartphone in just five minutes. The company recently showcased a modified version of the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ that achieved this feat, and it seems that the technology will be applied to mass-produced models in the near future.

The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ modified version charges its 4100mAh battery to nearly 50% in just two minutes and fully charges in just five minutes using the 300W super-fast charging technology. The technology achieves a peak power of 290W, which is close to the 300W level.

The Redmi 300W super-fast charging technology is the result of innovative design and new materials, from the charger to the phone’s charging architecture to the battery. The charger uses the fourth-generation integrated GaN (gallium nitride) solution, which maintains the same size as Xiaomi’s previous 210W charger but with a 43% increase in power, achieving a power density of 2.31W/cm³.

The charging architecture incorporates a customized 6:2 charge pump chip with a maximum conversion efficiency of 98%. This solves the problem of large current heating in the charging input path and reduces charging temperature rise from the source. Multiple charge pumps are arranged in a decentralized layout to effectively avoid concentrated heat generation, allowing for sustained peak power for more than 2 minutes.

The Redmi 300W super-fast charging technology is a breakthrough in fast charging technology, and it could change the way we use smartphones. With the ability to charge a smartphone fully in just five minutes, users will no longer have to worry about running out of battery while on the go. This technology could also have implications for other devices, such as laptops and electric vehicles.

The launch date and which specific model will have this feature is currently unknown, but with the successful demonstration of the modified Redmi Note 12 Pro+, it is only a matter of time before we see this technology in mass-produced smartphones.

Xiaomi working on parallel charging smartphone battery technology: Rumor

Sean — Mon, 17 May 2021 12:07:04 +0000

Earlier today (17th May 2021), a new rumor surfaced that suggested that Xiaomi is researching and developing smartphone batteries that support parallel charging technology to achieve faster charging speeds and charge rates.

According to known tipster @数码闲聊站 on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, the company is working on dual cell smartphone batteries. Xiaomi is known to be one of the pioneers in smartphone battery technologies, which has enabled it to offer faster charging rates on both wired and wireless charging platforms. So, it won’t be surprising if the company is actually is researching and developing parallel charging technology as well.

Earlier this year, the Chinese tech giant had launched the Mi 11 Pro that features a 5,000mAh Silicon Oxygen anode cell that supports up to 67W fast charging. Hence, the brand might be able to offer fast charging speeds that could reach up to 120W in the near future. Fast charging rates over 100W isn’t exactly a new technology, as devices have achieved it in the past. This includes the Mi 10 Extreme Commemorative Edition that arrives with a dual cell 4,500mAh battery that supported 120W fast wired charging.

In other words, the company might be improving on this technology and might grow the number of smartphone lineup that feature this technology. Unfortunately, this is still an unconfirmed report so take it with a pinch of salt and stay tuned for more updates regarding this matter.

Xiaomi explains it charges a 4,500mAh battery in 40 minutes through its 50W wireless charging

Sean — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 09:00:03 +0000

While the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra grabbed the spotlight for its whopping 120W wired fast charging support, it was equally if not more admirable that it reached up to 50W wireless fast charging rates as well. This is something most smartphones don’t support through wired charging. Now, the company has revealed a lengthy video explaining how they managed to achieve charging a 4,500mAh battery pack in just 40 minutes.

According to the video, the crucial aspect that allowed the Chinese tech giant to make this technology was to change the layout of the bits between the coil and the battery. In other words, the charging pumps, which are DC-DC converters that are used to increase or decrease voltage. Unlike a traditional layout of having them in series, Xiaomi set them up parallel to each other.

Another benefit of this layout was that the new parallel pump system had the new technology be more energy efficient. Conventional pumps are only 97 percent power efficient, so placing them in series (97% * 97% = 94%). But in the case of parallel pumps, the loss occurs only once with a 98.6 percent efficiency. The difference may not seem like a lot, but just a small change can greatly increase thermal performance.

The materials used in the connectors were also built with a highly conductive graphene-based material that also improved efficiency. Furthermore, the battery itself was split into two halves of 2,250mAh, to maximize charging rates. Xiaomi also focused heavily on the coils, with a multi strand winding technology being used to tightly weave wire in 5 layers. In simpler terms, a lot of clever technology hides beneath the company’s latest flagship handset.

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Xiaomi invests in Hypower Electronics, a Fast Charging chip maker

Sean — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 11:43:38 +0000

Earlier today (13th March 2020), data reports showcased that the Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Investment Fund had invested in a Chinese fast charging chipmaker called Hypower Microelectronics. The investment fund was initially jointly created by Xiaomi back in 2017 and has strategically invested in multiple different fronts since.

Xiaomi Mi PowerBank 3 50W fast charge version

Hypower Microelectronics Co Ltd was established back in March 2018, with its business operations primarily revolving around circuitry and wholesale of integrated circuit chips. The company is represented by Wang Qiang who also owns 36.71 percent of the stakes in the Hypower. And now, Xiaomi has also invested in the company and secured a 9.92 percent stake as well.

According to public data reports, Hypower is currently developing integrated circuits, with a special focus on reducing the overall power supply while also boosting the efficiency of the same. In recent times, Xiaomi has invested heavily in the field of microelectronics and chipsets, which is evident with its latest investment.

However, it doesn’t end there, as the Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Investment Fund had just invested in a semiconductor company called, Senscomm last month as well. The firm used the funding to develop and mass produce various new Wi-Fi 6 standard AIoT products. This investment is also in line with the Chinese government’s (Note: the local government also had a stake in the investment fund) initiative to encourage local businesses to develop proprietary core technologies and products such as chips.

(Via)

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Nubia executive teases smartphone with 80W fast charging capabilities

Sean — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 12:28:55 +0000

Earlier today (31st January 2020), Ni Fei, the CEO and Co-Founder of Nubia, shared a post on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, to tease an upcoming 5G smartphone with an impressive 80W fast charging capabilities.

In the Weibo post, Ni Fei shared an image as well which contained certain details and statistics regarding a smartphone being charged. Looking at the details, Voltage can be observed at 8.4 Volts while the current is at 9.6 Ampere. In simpler terms, this translates to a fast charging rate upwards of 80W that is higher than 65W but a bit lower than true 100W charging rates.

Previously, Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone giant, had revealed a 100W fast charging technology. It was called Super Charge Turbo and utilized a special dual cell series design which adds two strings of battery technology. Through this and other expensive materials, the company managed to charge a 4,000mAh battery in only 17 minutes. So, we can expect the upcoming Nubia 5G smartphone to arrive with capabilities close to this benchmark.

So far, no company has commercially launched a fast charger of 100W but Nubia arrives the closest if the device in question launches soon. It is still an expensive technology to include in a device so it is unlikely that a smartphone will debut with the technology any time soon.

However, Nubia’s executive teasing the charging capabilities just before the launch of its latest Red Magic gaming smartphone with 144Hz display, implies that the company might include an 80W fast charger in the upcoming device. Unfortunately, this is still speculation and Nubia has yet to officially confirm this. So we cannot provide any concrete statements at the moment.

(Via)

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OPPO Reno comes with VOOC 3.0 which improves fast charging speed by 23.8%

Jed John Ikoba — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 22:54:00 +0000

OPPO‘s SuperVOOC fast charging technology is unarguably the fastest quick charge technology for smartphones presently. While OPPO is launching car chargers with the supersonic SuperVOOC feature, the company has disclosed that the technology will not be on the upcoming OPPO Reno. Instead, the Reno will have the latest VOOC 3.0 technology.

The OPPO’s VP confirmed this on Friday in a Weibo post, offering some reasons why the Reno cannot have SuperVOOC technology. According to him, SuperVOOC has specific requirements regarding the physical size of the battery and space of the phone’s components. Reno doesn’t seem to meet those requirements instead, it comes with big battery capacity and the size may be too thin which would make the components to be compacted. The fast charging technology will be powered by VOOC 3.0. Bryan Shen revealed that the new VOOC 3.0 uses a completely new technology which brings the total charging time to 23.8% faster than the current VOOC 2.0. The VOOC fast charging technology is based on a low voltage pulse algorithm and customized super battery developed by the company. The charging technology churns out 20W of power just like OnePlus’s Dash Charge and lets you recharge your phone from 0 – 75% in 30 minutes.

OPPO’s flight to the limelight in the smartphone industry was perhaps propelled by the VOOC flash charge technology that it used on its smartphones. The company took the bar higher when it introduced the Super VOOC Flash Charge technology at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016. The technology only found its way to the Find X Lamborghini edition that was launched last year. Notably, the Find X Lamborghini edition packs a 3,400mAh battery whereas the Reno is said to have a 4064mAh battery under its hood. Super VOOC can charge a 2500mAh battery in just 15 minutes or up to 45% in just 5 minutes. That is super fast and so, the company may have played safe by not using the technology on the Reno since it is not suited for big batteries. We expect the VOOC 3.0 to offer a fast charging performance that is almost on par with SuperVOOC, though.

(source)

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Qualcomm’s wired and wireless charging speeds will soon get a boost

Jed John Ikoba — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 04:00:23 +0000

Fast charging technology has come a long way and is almost a compulsory add-on for flagship and premium mid-range models. Perhaps, the most widely used in Qualcomm‘s Quick Charge technology with the latest being the QC4+ which can deliver a charge of 50% in just 15 minutes. Interestingly, Huawei’s own SuperCharge 2.0 is touted to deliver 70% of power in 30 minutes, while Oppo’s Super VOOC can charge a battery completely in just 35 minutes. Meaning that Qualcomm’s Quick Charge isn’t the fastest charging technology around but that will soon change as the company has revealed that its Quick Charge technology will be improved significantly next year.

Qualcomm chip with logo

Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ utilises a feature dubbed Dual Charge that enables power to flow through two paths rather than one. This, in turn, increases the power output of the charger to 18W and also improves heat dissipation. Qualcomm says its next-gen QC version billed to be released next year will come with Triple Charge which will add a third flow of current. This will boost the output to a considerable 32W of power and will also improve heat dissipation.

Further, Qualcomm also indicated that it will boost the speed of its wireless charging. Next year will herald the entry of a new technology which is called True Fast Wireless Charging and makes use of Dual Charge. This will boost the charging current of compatible chargers from 12W to 15W. We don’t know what the new charging standard will be caledd, perhaps Quick Charge 5.0. However, the standard will likely be compatible with the next-generation Snapdragon 855 (or 8150) chip, throwing up the possibility that it will be on next year’s flagships like the HTC U13+, LG G8 ThinQ, and many more could support it.

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Smartphone Fast Charging Speed Comparison: Huawei vs OPPO vs Vivo vs Samsung vs Apple

Jed John Ikoba — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 06:24:05 +0000

The battle line is drawn, but this is no Shuai jiao contest, neither is it your favorite Wrestlemania or Boxing bout. Instead, this a comparison of the speed of the fast charging technologies featured on the smartphones of the top five global smartphone companies. In case you’ve forgotten, Samsung, Apple, Huawei, OPPO and Vivo occupy the top 5 spots in terms of mobile phone shipments globally for 2016. While Samsung, Apple and Huawei had built formidable reputations for themselves over the years, OPPO rode on the back of its VOOC fast charge technology on the OPPO R9 to help shore up its sales, the result of which is still being felt today. Fellow Chinese co-traveller Vivo also has fast charging technologies which is one of its main selling points.

So, the fast charging feature onboard the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro, Huawei Mate 9, OPPO R9 Plus and Vivo X9 Plus are put to test, all at the same time and the same battery level (0%) to determine which one actually charges faster. To set the records straight, the Galaxy C9 Pro, Mate 9, R9 Plus and X9 Plus, all have 4,000mAh battery capacity, while the iPhone 7 Plus comes with a 2910mAh battery. We must also point out that the iPhone 7 Plus doesn’t come with fast charging support but then, it is one of the top selling and most expensive smartphones so it squares up against the others.

After 5 minutes of charge (results pictured above), OPPO R9S Plus was able to attain 8% battery capacity while the Huawei Mate 9 got 10%, the highest level of the lot. The Apple iPhone 7 Plus was just at 4%, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro at 7% and the Vivo X9 Plus surprisingly was at 9%.

In 30 minutes (results pictured above), the Huawei Mate 9 with its innovative fast charging technology was well ahead at 56%, the R9 Plus and Vivo X9 Plus was trailing at 49% apiece, the Galaxy C9 Pro at 36% and finally the iPhone 7 Plus was only at 19%.

In 60 minutes (results pictured above), the Mate 9 and R9 Plus were both at 89% while the X9 Plus had gotten to 86%. The Samsung galaxy C9 Pro was trailing at 68% and then the iPhone 7 Plus at 38%. Obviously, Apple iPhones don’t come with fast charge support and that really has no effect on sales, but it sure would have made a lot of difference to add that to their selling points.

At 90 minutes (results pictured above), only the Huawei Mate 9 had attained full 100% charge, an applaudable feat. The OPPO R9 Plus was very close by at 98% of charge, the Vivo X9 Plus was also at 98% while the Galaxy C9 Pro was at 95%. The iPhone 7 Plus was still lagging behind at 57% even when it had a smaller battery capacity.

The test allowed the charge time to extend to 150 minutes and in that time as shown above, the Mate 9 and R9 Plus had stopped charging. The Vivo X9 Plus and Galaxy C9 Pro had also reached 100% in 150 minutes, while the Phone 7 Plus was only at 69%.

The test had to be stretched to 190 minutes (pictured above), that is 3 hours and 10 minutes before the iPhone 7 Plus charged up to 100%. That is quite slow, but with an efficient Apple A10 chip onboard, the battery isn’t expected to drain as fast as the others.

From the graph based on the fast charge test results, the Huawei Mate 9 with the steepest curve has the most efficient fast charge technology. This is followed by the OPPO R9 Plus and its VOOC fast charge technology. OPPO and Vivo are from the same parent company, so it is no surprise that the Vivo X9 Plus has almost similar charge pattern. The Galaxy C9 Pro followed closely and finally the iPhone 7 Plus came quite a distance behind the quartet.

(via)

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Meizu To Announce A New M series Product with fast charging on February 15

Jed John Ikoba — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 05:34:34 +0000

Meizu has officially teased what should be the launch of a new M-series smartphone which would take place on the 15th of February, 2017. The teaser also seems to highlight the fact that the said smartphone will have as its main feature, a fast charging technology.

Although no specific mention was made of the device that would launch on February 15, there is hardly any doubt that the device that would take the spotlight that day would be the Meizu M5S. The mid-range M5S has been the subject of several leaks and rumors of recent and among the rumors is the hint that it would launch this month.

Meizu had hinted earlier on that it would do less with launch events this year in order to cut costs, but the launch event is scheduled to hold at the Beijing Performing Arts Center at 15.00, China time on February 15. As a parting shot, just a reminder that the Meizu M5S will feature a 5.2-inch IPS display and is powered by a MediaTek MT6753 octa-core processor. The device is said to come with 2GB, 3GB, and 4GB RAM options as well as storage options of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB respectively.There is also a 13MP rear camera, a 5MP front-facing camera, and a 2,930mAh battery.

Other features include dualSIM/ dual Standby support, 4G LTE, Meizu mCharge fast charging technology, as well as Meizu’s mTouch fingerprint identification technology. The M5S runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. There are suggestions in some quarters that the M5S is price around 999 yuan ($145) price tag. While there are also rumors that it could go for as high as 1,299 yuan ($189). Bear in mind that there are three memory versions, so the price could fall within the range of the two rumored prices.