Chinese mobile giant OPPO claims new 125W fast-charging spec will fully fuel your phone in 20 minutes
- Reference: 1594804674
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/07/15/oppo_125w_fastcharging_spec/
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OPPO has claimed its new standard can fully recharge a 4,000mAh battery in just 20 minutes. Give it five minutes, and it can get that battery to 41 per cent.
The standard – which OPPO claims is backwards-compatible with the firm's previous fast-charging protocols – supports a charging scheme of up to 20V and 6.25A. It also comes with a spread of safety measures, including 10 new temperature sensors to ensure the charging brick doesn't go all " [1]Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ".
OPPO currently holds the "fastest charging" crown with its incumbent 65W standard. While other firms – most notably Xiaomi – have brandished experimental charging protocols that push the wattage further north, none have made it into the market.
There's a reason for that, according to Xiaomi's Lu Weibing, GM for Redmi and president for China. In [2]a Weibo post , Lu argued that 100W charging has too many downsides – particularly when it comes to battery capacity and longevity.
"According to preliminary estimates, the battery capacity of a 100W fast charge loses about 20 per cent of its capacity compared to a 30W PD fast charge," his (Google-translated) post reads. "Simply put, 5,000mAh becomes 4,000mAh."
Talk from OPPO suggests it has overcome those hurdles. Or perhaps it thinks ultra-fast charging can negate any performance hit. If you're able to charge your phone to capacity in 20 minutes, you might not notice the fact that it isn't holding as much charge as it used to.
Separately, the firm has also lifted the lid on its new Qi-compatible charging standard. The 65W AirVOOC wireless flash charge can purportedly fully recharge a 4,000mAh battery in 30 minutes. That's a meaningful step change, considering the current fastest charging speed is 40W on the Huawei P40 Pro+ and OPPO Reno Ace. Indeed, most phones (including the iPhone) hover between 5W and 15W.
Still, this announcement is indicative of the "sameness" of the phone market. There's very little distinction between devices and those blurred lines that exist across the entire mobile spectrum. With phones increasingly using the same camera sensors and processors, there are very few areas for differentiation. Charging is one of them. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2016/10/05/replacement_samsung_galaxy_note_7_aircraft/
[2] https://weibo.com/1892653244/IsBHJFGh2?from=page_1005051892653244_profile&wvr=6&mod=weibotime&type=comment#_rnd1594739526974
[3] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"According to preliminary estimates, the battery capacity of a 100W fast charge loses about 20 per cent of its capacity compared to a 30W PD fast charge," his (Google-translated) post reads. "Simply put, 5,000mAh becomes 4,000mAh."
No thanks. I bet there is accelerated long term degradation of the batteries too. Personally fast charging just isn't a selling point for me, I stick my phone on charge when I get home, it's charged when I need it, and there never seems to be a big rush if I need to top it up at desk or in car. I suppose there must be busy bees rushing around that would actually benefit from the few minutes saved, but personally I'd find the opposite a selling point; give me a slower charging phone that promises the minimum possible battery degradation over its lifespan, I'd take that. Dell offers a long-life battery option with its Precision laptops that does that, slower charge in exchange for longevity. I took that option, only time will tell if it actually delivers, but the previous machine's battery didn't make three years.
My OnePlus does a reasonably fast charge, which is nice if you're about to leave the house and you realise you're on 1% battery - gets it to around 20% in 5 minutes.
I used to think that. I slow charge my phone overnight, but the convenience of having fast charging available when I need a boost is a definite improvement over slow-only charging.
Getting a significant amount of battery life in the time it takes to make a cup of tea is something I'd miss if I didn't have it.
Much heat?
Mine's the one with the flaming pockets.
Cables...
We're gonna need a bigger cable...
You may be surprised
The USB-C charging cable for my Macbook Pro is thinner than some USB-2 cables.
However, you do have to be careful. I tried to use a (much thinker) Belkin USB-C cable once and it got quite soft as it heated up - the Apple one doesn't even get warm.
Re: You may be surprised
If the cable is heating then that is another issue. Just check your home insurance for fire caused by blowing Li-on batteries. Or airplanes.
Yeah, I'll stick with the slow overnight charge whilst I'm asleep rather than burning the house down.
"you might not notice the fact that it isn't holding as much charge as it used to"
Um, if you have to recharge your phone twice a day instead of every evening, you're going to notice.
Of course, I'm exaggerating, but the point remains. I'm not criticizing the efforts either ; I think it is useful to research how to improve charging times, but not for phones, for cars. And it is also obvious that, as some people have already remarked, the best charging time must also not degrade the battery in a significant fashion. A 20% loss in charging capacity is very much significant.
So we are going to need more research on this subject, because when have all transitioned to battery-operated vehicles, it is imperative that the recharge does not take more than a few hours. Ideally, if you're on the move, a recharge in ten minutes would be grand, but again, what of the impact on battery life ?
It's no use telling me that I can recharge in ten seconds if I have to replace the battery every year. Especially with all the models that do not allow you to do that on your own.
At 40W, you could use it for a laptop. Although, for the record, I strongly prefer cables for charging all devices, they're more efficient for power transfer.