Battery life has always been a concern for smartphone users. As technology is evolving, the phones are becoming more power hungry with better display and functions, even as the chipsets are becoming more efficient. In this situation, fast-charging technology has become a boon for many users.
The concept behind fast charging is that, for a limited amount of time, the battery will be charged with high power. That gives enough usage time to the user to carry on throughout the day. After the battery is charged up to a specific percentage (normally, 60 percent) its power is reduced gradually. There are a few methodologies being followed across the world to make this happen.
Qualcomm Quick Charging
A commonly used technology has been provided by Qualcomm in a range of its processors. Qualcomm being one of the largest chipset providers to smartphones, a majority of phones can benefit from this. Qualcomm 3.0 which is used widely has a power rating of 18W for the phones.
The company has introduced new standards recently, such as Quick Charging 4.0 that allows power cables of higher standards than 5A. As per the company's tests, a 2,750 mAh battery can be charged up to 50 percent in 15 minutes using this standard.
OnePlus Dash Charging
One of the most appreciated features of OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T is the Dash Charging technology incorporated into them by OnePlus. In our test of OnePlus 3T, we found that within half an hour the phone charges from 0 to almost 60 percent. And, it takes just about an hour to completely charge the phone to 3,000 mAh. OnePlus supplies a special charger with Dash Charging technology with the phone.
The company released a video just today, starring actress Emily Ratajkowsk, explaining how Dash Charging works. The video shows that while other fast charging technologies rely on providing higher voltage to the device, Dash Charging generates more power through higher amperage. It should be noted that OnePlus supplies a charge of 5A and 4V rating with the device.
The video also shows that the charger itself converts the power in the adapter and uses a thick cable to transfer that to the device with USB C port.
USB C PD
Many smartphones rely on the USB C standard rather than the Qualcomm standard. Google's Pixel is one. The maximum power rating for this tech is 15 W. Rating of the cable is generally 3A. However, the advantage of this technology over Qualcomm's implementation is that while the phone is being charged, data can be transferred through the same cable.
Phone-maker Oppo also has its own standard, called VOOC charging, which takes advantage of converting power into the adapter allowing higher amperage to flow through the cable and get the battery charged quickly. By current standards, the company claims that 75 percent of battery can be charged in 30 minutes.