The fastest phone charge today takes about ten minutes, and 300W charging prototypes are being tested in labs that will do it in just five minutes. It sounds incredible, but is it really necessary? It may seem controversial, but even in the case of charging a phone, there is a limit beyond which it no longer makes sense given current battery technology and user needs.
The discussion around fast charging usually revolves around watts, a unit of power that indicates how quickly energy is pumped into the battery. While brands like Motorola and OnePlus offer blazingly fast charging, Samsung and Google seem to be lagging behind. Manufacturers like Realme and Redmi have gone even further with experimental phones charging at 240W and even 300W.
However, fast charging has its drawbacks. Fast-charging batteries have lower capacity because they need stronger cells to withstand high output. In addition, more complex circuits and two batteries connected in series take up space and reduce the energy density of the battery. With every additional minute you save on charging, that gain diminishes. Along with the increase in charging performance, the complexity of the system also increases, which must manage safety, heat dissipation, and current regulation.
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The question remains whether fast charging harms the battery. In theory, this should not be the case if implemented correctly. Fast charging itself does not harm the battery, unlike heat. Although some manufacturers boast of battery life with fast charging, their claims are difficult to verify. The ideal charging speed may have been found by OnePlus, whose OnePlus Nord 4 model has a battery with a capacity of 5500 mAh, which you can charge in 28 minutes. But for users to achieve this result, they need a special 100 W charger. After all, most phones with extremely fast charging require their own charger.
So it would be better to use the universal USB Power Delivery standard, which can handle up to 240W. Even 100W would be enough for most people and charging would be easier. In conclusion, though, a phone that can fully charge in just ten minutes is great, but not ideal for today’s users and battery technology. Better to focus on more reasonable charging speeds and compatible solutions.
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