Fast charging and slow starts
Telepolis turns 20 this year. It's time for a series of articles about how it used to be. Charging phones was… slow.
Fast charging is much younger than Telepolis
At the dawn of time, we could deliver amazing things with a USB cable 500 mA at 5 Vwhich only gave 2.5W power. Later, the USB 3.0 standard increased this power to 4.5 W. This was still not enough for phone manufacturers, who decided to use PC-compatible USB cables to transmit more power through them. For a long time, the term fast charging referred to the transition from 5V and 1A (5W) to 5V and 2A (10W). It is worth adding that Apple never decided to take this step – only with iPhone 11 did it switch to the Power Delivery standard (more on that in a moment), pushing slow 5W “cubes” to customers until 2018.
It is worth remembering that initially manufacturers were far from having a consistent approach to how to charge their phones. Before the times of miniUSB (mainly used in smartphones) and later microUSB (long the dominant standard), practically each manufacturer had a different charging plug. The current paradise of uniform USB-C was unthinkable not so long ago.
Groundbreaking Qualcomm Quick Charge
Qualcomm, the manufacturer of the popular Snapdragon mobile processors, presented First generation Quick Charge in 2013 — on the occasion of the premiere of Snapdragon 600. These are the ones mentioned above, 2 A instead of 1 A and a final power of 10 W. Two years later, it turned out that you can further increase the voltage. This is how it was created Quick Charge 2.0with maximum power 18W (2A/9V). You may not have known this name, because many private labels were created under the Qualcomm license. Samsung has rechristened QC 2.0 as Fast ChargeMotorola had theirs Turbopowerand Asus BoostMaster.
Initially, Quick Charge assumed several charging stages, with gradually decreasing power. Changes came in 2016 Quick Charge 3.0 which allowed for jumps every 200 mV, making the charging process even more efficient and smooth. At the same time, the range of applied voltages increased, from 3.6 V to as much as 20 V. In subsequent versions, Quick Charge was combined with Power Delivery, which had previously been developed independently. QC 4.0 extended the power to 27Wand QC 4.0+ (based on USB PD 3.0), allowed almost smooth voltage regulation (every 20 mV) in the range from 3 to 11 V and ralso smooth regulation of intensity from 0 to 3A (with steps of 50 mA). However, it was still a maximum of 27 W.
USB Power Delivery – quickly overtaken by the leader
Back in 2012, we learned the specification of USB Power Delivery, the standard offering Power from 10 to 100 W right from the start. However, in the case of phones, it was stuck at 18 W for a long time, in a 12 V and 1.5 A configuration. PD 2.0 from 2016 allowed the abandonment of step changes in charging power in favor of more precise and smooth control of the charging voltage, and Up to 4 pairs of wires were used to deliver a maximum of 100 W.
PD 3.0 from 2017just like the standardized Quick Charge 4.0, has already offered practically smooth voltage regulation with an increment of 20 mV. It is worth remembering that typical lithium batteries operate with a voltage of approximately 3.8 V Providing high charging voltages forces the use of additional components in phones to lower the voltage. This process generates a lot of heat (which harms the batteries) and is not very energy efficient, which is why, in the further development of charging standards, manufacturers focus on the intensity.
Times of great intensity
In 2014, the standard unexpectedly appeared at the front of the race VOOC (also known as Dash Charge), used by the BBK group. Using a special design of cables it was possible to deliver current of 4 Aobtaining 20 W. The group later increased this score to 50 W, using a current of up to 4 A and a maximum of 20 V. It was only in 2017 that Huawei presented its own SuperCharge – Mate 10 was charged powerfully thanks to it 22.5 W (5V and 4.5A). A year later, the company presented the development of its technology and Mate 20 Pro was the first to receive it Huawei 40-watt chargingusing a voltage of 10 V and a current of 4 A.
Before we get to the present day, it is also worth mentioning the solutions MediaTekinitially known for cheap phones from AliExpress. PumpExpress+ from 2014 was very similar to QuickCharge 2.0, and its second version, similarly to the Qualcomm solution, already had step voltage regulation (every 0.5 V). PumpExpress 3.0 (2016) and 4.0 (2017) are solutions based on USB Power Delivery 3.0.
Modern times – two schools
Nowadays, virtually all phones support it to a greater or lesser extent Power Delivery (as primary or backup charging standard). However, only Motorola decided to generate high charging speeds based on this standard, and to a lesser extent Samsung, which has lagged behind in charging speeds since the dramatic failure of the Galaxy Note 7. Apple also uses Power Delivery, but it sticks to power levels below 30 W, which Nowadays it is difficult to call it fast charging.
Asian producers, however, use own solutions, with specially adapted USB-A and USB-C cables. They provide more space for proprietary improvements, are actually significantly faster than Power Delivery and are increasingly available also in the case of affordable phones. It is thanks to them that we found out Charging phones from zero to full takes not hours, but literally minutes.
Infinix takes the lead
In recent years, a young player on the Polish market – Infinix – has started to take the lead in this segment. However, a short internship in our country does not mean a lack of experience – the brand has been developed since 2013and its portfolio is addressed to young people looking for a combination of modern technologies and attractive design at an affordable price.
What is important, in the case of Infinix solutions, we are not just talking about some prototypes and flexing their muscles at industry events. Just mention it Infinix Zero Ultra, which debuted in Poland in the fall of 2022. The phone, which cost well under PLN 3,000 at the time of release, was equipped with charging Thunder Charge with astronomical power of 180 W. The two-cell 4500 mAh battery used in the device can be charged from zero to full in just 12 minutes, and as many as 20 temperature sensors ensure the safety and comfort of charging. What's more, unlike competitors from Asia, we get a double-sided USB-C cable.
You can also quickly use inexpensive phones
Infinix's mid-range devices are now entering the Polish market, Note 40 series, i.e. those models that will probably meet with the greatest interest from customers. Infinix also shows its dominant position in the fast charging market.
Even the cheapest of the bunch Infinix Note 40 charges its 5000 mAh battery with a power of 45 Wand the Note 40 Pro received charging 70 W. The top model in the series, i.e Infinix Note 40 Pro + 5G is as much as 100 W. Thanks to Infinix All-Round FastCharge 2.0 technology, 5000 mAh battery It charges from zero to 50% in just 8 minutes.
However, man does not live by charging power alone – Infinix works more comprehensively here. For example, people who play a lot will appreciate the function Bypass Charging 2.0. It allows for smooth gameplay without the phone heating up when connected to the power supply. This is finally the end of the torment both when playing games and watching long movies. The set of accessories is also worth noting Infinix MagKit – Thanks MagCase the phone can be charged wirelessly using a magnetic charging pad MagPad (15W). Magnetic charging is compatible with all models of the Note 40 line. Original chipset Cheetah X1 is also a gateway to wireless reverse charging accessories such as Bluetooth headphones and smartwatches, or even the correct one phone charging at -20 degrees Celsius. And no, you don't have to spend PLN 6,000 on all this, the manufacturer decided to introduce all this charging progress to the mid-range smartphone segment.
In addition Infinix Note 40 series sales kits are very rich. The box contains not only a phone and a USB cable (this minimum is becoming a sad market standard). They also have phones in the package wired headphones, protective glass and elegant MagCase. In addition, of course, a fast charger and a USB cable compatible with the Power Delivery 3.0 protocol (we can also charge a laptop with it, for example). Additionally in the promotion for PLN 1 we will buy a MagCharge 15W magnetic wireless charger. Note 40 was priced at PLN 1,196, and Note 40 Pro at PLN 1,496 – you won't find equally well-equipped sets in this price range.
Check current prices and promotions for Infinix Note 40 series
Looking to the future
A year ago, Infinix already managed to show the enabling technology Charge your phone from zero to full in just 5 minutes. Technology has been harnessed for this purpose All-Round Fast Charge with a power of up to 260 W. What's more, the company also presented it at the same time wireless charging with a power of 110 W. Infinix's record 260W is based on a compact GaN charger about parameters this time up to 20V/13A. Safety and such high charging speed are ensured by: 142 sensors and software solutionsincluding 21 temperature sensors.
Before you start talking about how batteries die quickly when charging quickly, it's nothing like that. Behind great power there is also great technology. Despite as much as 260 W of power, the Infinix battery only after 1000 charging cycles and discharge reduces its capacity to 90% of its original value. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (real charging up to 24-25.5 W) has 91% of its original capacity after half a year and 278 charging cycles. In short, Apple customers have something to envy Infinix because of both the charging speed and battery durability.
Sponsored article, the partner of the material is the Infinix brand
