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Cell phone battery worries are a thing of the past with new phones that can go from empty to full in nine minutes.
Those who commute to work no longer need to panic when charging their phone at night – they can get more than a day’s worth of energy in the shower. Meanwhile, anyone planning a night on the town can experience a quick blast that can last up to a couple of hours.
Experts say it will allow phones to get smaller or thinner as devices grow in size to accommodate huge batteries to ensure power throughout the day.
The new technology, which allows phones to quickly draw power without damaging batteries, was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week – and will be available in devices by the summer.
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For those who commute to work, forgetting to charge their phones at night doesn’t panic even more — they can get more than a day’s worth of energy in the shower
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It comes from Chinese phone maker Oppo, which is the fourth largest in the world and is growing rapidly here along with its sub-brands OnePlus, Realme and Vivo.
And experts say Apple and Samsung are already working to repeat the feat – with fast charging and long battery life being a key selling point for phones.
Stuart Miles, founder of technology website Pocket-lint.co.uk, said: “Battery life is really important to many users, but gains in efficiency have been slower than most of us would like.
So companies say if you can’t keep it longer, we’ll make it faster.
“Oppo’s new technology takes just nine minutes – less than it takes to shower and brush your teeth in the morning – to fully charge.”
He added: “It would allow for ever smaller devices and also lighter weight. Ultra-fast charging like this means smaller batteries – after all, if you can charge them in minutes, you don’t need a huge battery. Of course, a lot of people want a big screen, so phones have to be big to make that possible – but they don’t have to be very thick and heavy be.
“The iPhone has gotten heavier over the years because the battery has gotten bigger and denser.”
Oppo has demonstrated its 240-watt SuperVooc charging technology with a video clip showing a 4,500 mAh (amp-hour) battery charging from one percent to 100 percent in nine minutes. The 150W version does it in 15 minutes.
Most phones, including iPhones and Samsung devices, can only handle around 10-30 watts
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Most phones, including the iPhone and Samsung, can only handle around 10-30 watts because too much energy in their batteries will damage them. Many companies have been held back by battery overheating, which is dangerous in addition to damaging equipment.
Samsung had to recall millions of phones in 2016 after batteries overheated and damaged the device – some even caught fire after overheating. The Korean giant recalled 2.5 million devices at a cost of several billion pounds.
Oppo’s new technology has been in development since 2014.
Neil Munger, Product Manager at Oppo UK said: “We’ve been working on the Vooc technology since 2014. It was relatively fast back then and has continued to develop.
It’s not just about speed – it’s also about doing it in a safe way for our customers. For example, trying to put more power into a battery without the appropriate guarantees can damage the battery in the long run, causing it to degrade faster over time. We test and test to avoid that.
He added: “These new versions of SuperVooc have 13 temperature sensors installed in the phone to monitor the charging status in real time. It reduces the chance of overheating and prevents other anomalies.
If someone keeps a phone for two or three years, they need to know that the battery will last. A good battery still retains 80 percent of its capacity after 800 charging processes. We’ll do it after 1600.
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