Gone in 15 minutes: Qualcomm claims new chargers will fill your smartmobe in a flash
- Reference: 1595921292
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/07/28/qualcomm_quickcharge_5/
- Source link:
Quick Charge 5 is up to four times faster than its predecessor, up to 70 per cent more efficient, and runs 10 degrees Celsius cooler, the company says.
Qualcomm says the new tech can charge a 4500mAh battery half-way in five minutes, or to full capacity in 15 minutes.
But to hit those times it appears that smartphones need dual batteries, so that Qualcomm's kit can pump power into both at once. New chargers also look to be required, along with various Qualcomm components under the skin of a smartphone.
The new kit will also be backwards compatible with previous iterations of Qualcomm's tech, albeit limited by the fastest speeds that those chargers can provide.
That Qualcomm bothers with such rapid-charging kit signals that smartphone power consumption continues to outpace battery technology. While news of [1]promising battery-extending tech is seldom hard to find, lithium-ion continues to dominate. The likes of Qualcomm therefore find ways to work with existing kit rather than upend it with new tech entirely.
Qualcomm's announcement comes a week ahead of Samsung's next big product launch, at which the new generation Galaxy Note is expected to be unveiled. The phone is pitched at business users for whom fast charging tech would be especially useful, making it an ideal showcase for Qualcomm's new tech.
But rumours are also circulating that Apple and Samsung will not longer include chargers with their new phones given that there are so many in circulation already. Apple is reportedly considering plans to sell [2]a new 20W fast charger separately . ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/03/02/canadian_firm_to_develop_goodenoughs_new_glass_battery/
[2] https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/28/kuo-no-charger-in-iphone-12-box/
[3] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
I've always been very aware of how long it takes my phone to DISCHARGE.
As for charging - no idea how long it takes.
We asked for:
Longer battery life
Removable battery
SD Card support
Stronger phones.
(keyboard, but that's my wife asking!)
We get:
Smaller
thinner
shorter battery life
faster charging
Imagine being that vapid that waiting an hour or two for your car to fill up with petrol is the worst thing in the world and you need a full tank after 15 minutes so you can carry on driving and being productive.
Some people's use cases may be different from your own.
Is this still true?
"Bad news from science land: Fast-charging li-ion batteries may be quick to top up, but they're also quick to die."
https://www.theregister.com/2019/06/05/liion_battery_scan_charging/
How
Have they addressed the problems of reduced battery capacity and overall lifetime, that are caused by fast charging? (https://www.theregister.com/2019/06/05/liion_battery_scan_charging/)
Or perhaps they don't care if your phone needs replacing sooner because it doesn't have a removable battery and the one it has no longer holds a charge for more than a few minutes.
Re: How
Of the phones I've used over the past 20 years, the iPhone batteries have been the cheapest (cost/year of use). Nokia and Motorola phones with replaceable batteries needed new ones after 3/4 years use; iPhone batteries have lasted at least as long; replacement costs about the same (iPhone replacements from local repair shops, not Apple, of course - £15-20 each). I've never had a phone in the past 20 years that hasn't lasted me at least a couple of days. The complaint that modern phones don't last as long doesn't hold up - a) smartphones tend to be used for a lot more than the older feature phones and b) my first mobile phone needed 2 batteries to get through a day.
To me, I've not missed user replaceable batteries, nor found the need for a bigger one. Others hammer their phones playing games, leave GPS running so they know everywhere they've been, etc., so have different needs. That's fine by me - but if you need something different, don't complain that what you've chosen doesn't do what you knew it wouldn't do.
Re: so they know everywhere they've been
I'm sure that the likes of Google, Fartbook and Amazon will be kept well informed as to your whereabouts as well.
But some people obviously don't care who gets all that lovely data that their devices phone home every few minutes.
Personally, I'd get more use out of a less thin phone with more battery capacity, and batteries which can actually be replaced. Do people not charge phones overnight or something?
Apple is reportedly considering plans to sell a new 20W fast charger separately.
Now there's a surprise. [1]I wonder how much it will cost .
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/04/16/apple_mac_pro_699_dollar_wheels/
In a 'flash' charging
has its downsides. You gotta be careful about too much really fast charging you subject any Lithium Ion battery to.
ask any old Nissan Leaf owner if you want to know the pitfalls of rapid charging on battery capacity.
Slow and steady is the name of the game for me with batteries unless I really, really need fast charging then I tend towards 50kW chargers in my EV rather than the 350kW ones that are becoming quite common these days.
Imagine being that vapid that waiting an hour or two for your phone to charge is the worst thing in the world and you need a full charge after 15 minutes so you can carry on being vapid on Instagram.