Smartphone fast charging technology – myths and facts

Smartphones today are marketed with a very important feature that promises lightning fast charging speeds compared to the older generation phones. The battery charging technology that phone makers rely on for delivering quick charge to the devices is based on Programmable Power Supply (PPS) and USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) 3.0 standards. These technologies deliver power at the right amount of voltage and current to minimize battery degradation issues.

There are three stages at which the fast charging occurs. First, there is the Constant Current stage where the constant power is delivered to the phone, then there is a saturation phase when the voltage reaches peak value and current starts to drop, and thereafter comes the Trickle stage wherein the power seeps in slowly or periodically.

Smartphone makers like Samsung, OnePlus, OPPO, and Apple have set the current fast charging standard at 30W with some of the Android phone makers even offering 55W or 65W chargers. This means modern phones fitted with lithium-ion batteries can go from zero to maximum charge that’ll last for the whole day in under half an hour. That said, phone makers are already working on fast charging battery technology that promises 100W fast charging and even 120W is not that far. The only problem that needs to be addressed is the handling of charging voltages that permits such insane charging tech.

Convenience that fast charger brings to the busy lifestyle is what all major OEMs are chasing after. Battery charging technology is the one thing in your phone with major advantages in daily life as opposed to other tech like better phone display or innovative camera. Moreover, the power-hungry phones these days demand quick charge capabilities, especially if you are a power user who is hooked on to the phone all day long.