Let's understand the fast charging standards: USB Power Delivery and Qualcomm Quick Charge. What is fast charging of a smartphone
The biggest problem with modern mobile devices is their battery life. Sometimes the battery charge lasts for a maximum of 4 hours, after which you will have to look for a charger and a place where you can recharge. At such moments, you want to keep your smartphone on charge 24 hours a day. There are two ways to solve this problem: either use a larger capacity battery, or charge the battery faster.
Quick Charger(literally “fast charge”) is a technology that came from Qualcomm back in June 2012, which allows you to charge mobile devices several times faster. Other chip makers also boast similar fast charging technology. This is how MediaTek speeds up charging gadgets using technology Pump Express Plus, which works with the company's chipsets, including the flagship MT6595 and the more affordable MT6732. Motorola offers a charger Turbo Charger, which allows you to charge your gadget’s battery 75% faster compared to conventional chargers.
But still Quick Charge leads the fast memory market, possibly due to the fact that Intel and Samsung have a license for Qualcomm technology and do not offer their own developments.
How does fast charging work?
Many of you have long noticed that your smartphone charges faster when you connect the charger to a wall outlet than when charging from a computer’s USB port. This happens because the output power of the 220V outlet is higher than the output power of the USB 2.0 port (5 Volts and 1 or 2 Amps versus 5 Volts, 0.5 Amps). Using simple formulas from a school physics course, you can calculate that a power outlet will charge your device 100% much faster than a USB port.
Additionally, every smartphone has a power management circuit built into its PCB. This circuit defines the limits of how much current the battery can accept (i.e. charge) without negatively impacting the battery. Smartphones without fast charging are limited to a maximum of 10 W (i.e. 5 Volts times 2 Amps).
Fast charging effectively raises this limit. If the power adapter can increase the power (for example, up to 15 Watts, i.e. 9 Volts times 1.67 Amps), and if the smartphone's power management scheme allows it to take on this additional power, then such a power adapter will charge the battery much faster.
Does my phone support fast charging?
To support fast charging technology on your smartphone or tablet, you need to have three things:
- Quick Charge certified phone or tablet;
- Charging adapter supporting Quick Charge;
- High quality USB cable.
All these points are needed together. You won't be able to charge your smartphone or tablet if at least one of these points is not met. Therefore, if you have a Quick Charge charging adapter and an appropriate quality USB cable, you will not be able to use the fast charging function if the smartphone is not Quick Charge certified.
A list of devices that are guaranteed to support Quick Charge technology can be found on the Qualcomm website. There are not many devices currently released for MediaTek and its Pump Express Plus technology, a list of which can be viewed.
As for USB cables, fast charging is supported as standard micro USB, USB Type A, and the new standard USB Type C. You can learn about all modern computer connectors and more in the article Types of computer ports: types of connectors and adapters.
So the simplest cable needed is 24 AWG (American Wire Gauge). The AWG marking is an American standard for measuring conductors, which states the following:
The thicker and shorter the cable, the lower its resistance should be, therefore, the lower the voltage drop, therefore, the less likely the USB device will be unstable.
The cable number indicates its size: a lower number indicates a larger size. And it is usually written like this: USB 28/24 AWG. The first number (28) refers to the conductor size, the second number (24) refers to the power wire size. 24 AWG is the most preferred for fast charging, but a 20 AWG USB cable may not be suitable.
In addition, the marking of the “correct” USB cable must contain:
- Shield - shielded cable
- P (Pair) - the cores are twisted into a pair. The presence of P in one of the numbers is very desirable.
- 2C - two conductors.
Charging time from 0 to 60%, charging time from 0 to 100%
There is one more important point to know about fast charging. The point is that fast charging technology speeds up the initial charging period, but it cannot speed up the overall charging period.
Those. fast charging maintains a high charging speed relative to the total charge time, but up to approximately 60%. Then the charging speed rapidly drops to the usual level and from 60% to 100% the phone charges in time, generally a little faster than normal charging.
The thing is that greater electricity output during charging produces more heat. Lithium batteries can be damaged if they overheat; That's why all fast chargers have a temperature sensor. And if it becomes too time-critical in the charging process, fast charging will strive to reduce power consumption to the usual levels of the USB 2.0 standard.
Qualcomm is trying to solve this problem with the new Quick Charge 3.0, but the technology is still in the development stage.
Please note that 60% is an approximate figure for reaching the maximum charge threshold for fast charging. Some phones and tablets can withstand higher rates, up to 75%.
Unification of chargers for Quick Charger
All the devices that have come out recently and are Quick Charger certified do not allow the user to worry about which gadgets from which companies are worth buying and which are not in order to maintain the fast charging function.
If you have a Quick Charge certified charger from Motorola and want to connect it to your HTC One M8, fast charging will work as before.
From here it should be understood that you do not need to pay attention to brands. It doesn't matter whether you are using a Nexus and an ASUS charger or one from a third party, the charging speed will be the same.
Over 5 years, productivity in mobile electronics has increased 5-10 times, while battery production technologies have remained unchanged. The average battery capacity is 3000 mAh, which is 3 – 3.5 times higher than that of phones of the last decade. At the same time, there is a tendency for capacity to decrease due to a decrease in the thickness of the case, which will negatively affect the battery life of the mobile device.
As a temporary solution, fast charging technology has been developed that can speed up the charge replenishment process by up to 75%. As a result, waiting time is reduced and mobility is increased, since the user is not chained to a power outlet for 3-4 hours. Let's take a closer look at the technology, operating principle, advantages and disadvantages.
What is fast charging
Fast charging is a technology that aims to increase the capacity of voltage (V) or current (A), or both. The point is to recharge the built-in power source as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible. The charging speed is affected by current parameters, as well as the generation of fast charging.
Use cases
The essence of fast charging technology is to quickly charge the battery. Therefore, this option will be useful for users whose devices are equipped with small-capacity batteries or, due to being busy, actively consume power. Let's consider the effectiveness of using technology in real life.
Charging a high-capacity battery
Some smartphones and tablets are equipped with power supplies of 5000 – 12,000 mAh. Charging such devices with a network adapter with current parameters of 5V/1A will take 6-14 hours. And with the use of first generation fast charging (5V/2A), the waiting time will be reduced by almost half.
Recharging for an emergency
Suppose that on the way to work or school, the game drained your smartphone, and for the rest of the day the charge will only be enough for phone calls. You need to replenish the charge, and you have 15 minutes of free time. During this time, the 3000 mAh battery will charge:
- Standard charger 5V/1A – 8.3%.
- Fast charging 1st generation 5V/2A – 16.7%.
- Fast charging 2nd generation 9V/2A – 30%.
Operating principle
The charging process consists of two stages. At the first stage, the current power is as high as a smartphone or tablet can receive. The second stage begins when the level of 60-75% is reached. The current strength begins to gradually decrease, and the charging process at this stage extends for 30-60 minutes. This is done to ensure that the battery does not overheat and fail.
Fast charging technology uses the same principle of operation, with the only difference being that in the first stage the current or voltage, or both, is higher. So at the beginning of the process the battery is charged quickly, and at the end at normal speed. And it is advisable to use the technology when the battery is discharged to 15-30%. Therefore, marketers write that the battery will be charged 60 or 75% in 30 minutes, but do not specify the time for full charging - 1.5-2 hours.
It is worth noting that fast charging technology is incorporated during the development of a mobile device. It requires the installation of an appropriate processor, as well as a power controller capable of receiving and distributing energy with high current/voltage values. And most importantly, you need a network adapter that supports the necessary parameters.
Which Android smartphones and tablets support fast charging technology
The manufacturer indicates support for this technology on the box or in the package list. For example, on the box of the Motorola Droid Turbo 2, a proprietary charger with a power of 25 W is indicated. Information about technology support is also indicated in the specifications on the company’s website.
It is important to know that some manufacturers do not provide chargers that support fast charging technology. In this case, the user is forced to buy a network adapter separately.
How to choose a charger that supports fast charging
On the manufacturer's website you need to specify the type of fast charging, as well as the parameters of the received current: 2A/5V, 2A/7V or 2A/9V. Then select the appropriate charger, which will indicate fast charging support and the required current / voltage ratio.
Types of fast charging
Qualcomm Quick charge.
Qualcomm is the founder of fast charging and the leader of this technology, due to the widest distribution of chips and processors for mobile electronics. In four years, three generations of fast charging have appeared.
Quick charge 1.0
Increasing the current to 2A, adapter parameters 2A/5V, power 10 W. Compared to conventional 1A/5V AC adapters, the charging process is almost 2 times faster (2000 mAh per hour).
Quick charge 2.0
The voltage increased to 12V, adapter parameters 2A/5V, 2A/7V, 2A/9V and 1.2A/12V, power up to 18 W. Compared to the first generation, the charging process will be reduced by 1.8 times (up to 3600 mAh per hour). In this case, the user can be given a choice of charging speed by manually switching the voltage from the device menu, or the voltage is fixed - 7V or 9V. In both cases, the decision is made by the mobile device manufacturer at the development stage.
Quick charge 3.0
Improving the charging process by dynamically changing the voltage (3.2 - 20V in steps of 200 mV). The network adapter parameters and power are the same, but Qualcomm notes an increase of 3-8% or more.
MediaTek Pump Express
Competing fast charging solution for MediaTek processors. Due to the low penetration of the technology, details are scarce, but the principle of operation is the same - increasing the current, voltage, or both. Also, the Chinese manufacturer does not hesitate to talk about its superiority over its competitors without citing specific numbers.
Pump Express
The first generation of fast charging with voltage 3.6 - 5V, current 1.2 - 2A, power 5 W (1.2A), 7.5 W (1.5 A) and 10 W (2A).
Pump Express Plus
Second generation with increased voltage (5, 7, 9, 12) and current up to 2A: 15 W (9V/1.67A) and 24 W (12V/2A).
Pump Express 3.0
Nothing is known about the third generation of fast charging. According to MediaTek, 70% of the charge will be replenished in 20 minutes.
In addition, fast charging technology is being developed by mobile electronics manufacturers: Motorola - TurboCharge, Samsung - FastCharge, ASUS - BoostMaster, etc. The essence is the same, charging the smartphone with a 15 or 18 W power adapter (2A/9V, 1.67A/9V or 3A/5V).
The distinctive implementation of OPPO (VOOC Flash Charging) and its subsidiary OnePlus (Dash Charge) is 4A/5V (20 W). In this case, the battery is divided into several cells, through which the current is evenly distributed.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantage of the technology is the fast and safe charging of a mobile device. This reduces waiting time and increases mobility. In addition, claims that the use of fast charging accelerates wear and tear of the battery have been refuted by scientists from Stanford University and the Stanford Institute for Materials Science and Energy. At the same time, scientists were able to understand the structure and internal processes in order to increase the charging speed in the future without consequences.
At the same time, the main disadvantage of the technology is the slowdown in the search for new power sources, as well as the optimization of energy consumption. For companies, it is better to recharge the battery 2-3 times a day than to achieve slow energy consumption.
Conclusion
Fast charging technology is an effective way to replenish battery energy and increase mobility. There are interesting developments in this direction, including UMB with the Quick charge function. But due to the common myth about accelerated battery degradation, users prefer to continue to use adapters with low current supply. Therefore, companies should invest in optimizing energy consumption and increasing capacity while maintaining battery size. Sometimes scientists announce new power sources for portable electronics. But until companies and corporations see profit in this, the situation will remain unchanged.
With the release of each new generation of smartphones, processors become faster, screen resolutions become higher, applications become more power-hungry, and batteries... The batteries are still the same. To somehow compensate for this shortcoming, manufacturers use fast charging technologies. But, in addition to the advantages, they can bring a lot of problems to the smartphone owner - from banal incompatibility and reduced battery life to burned-out smartphones and power supplies.
Today, we have access to a wide range of charging protocols, developed and promoted by different companies and organizations. If possible, we will try to adhere to the chronology.
Regular USB
USB allows a current of no more than 500 mA at a voltage of 5 V. Only much later, with the release of the USB 3.0 specification, the maximum current was raised to 900 mA. Ordinary push-button phones, which began to come out not with their own charging connectors, but with mini- and then microUSB plugs, were quite enough with a little power.
Everything changed with the release of smartphones, the battery capacity of which was several times greater than the relatively small battery capacity of push-button phones. Even small batteries by modern standards with a capacity of 1500 mA ∙ h already wanted to be charged faster than in 4–4.5 hours (time taking into account losses during charging and the natural slowdown of the charging speed after 80%). There was a need to somehow transfer a larger charge current over a standard cable without accidentally burning the USB controller if the device is connected to a computer.
USB Battery Charging Revision 1.2 (BC1.2)
This standard was adopted back in 2011 and allowed early devices to be charged from USB connectors with a current of up to 1.5 A at a voltage of 5 V. The standard was adopted by the USB-IF organization, so its use is free for manufacturers. By modern standards, it is very primitive: the type of charger is determined by the voltage on the D+ and D- contacts.
Hello, everyone knows why fast charging is needed for smartphones, we constantly consume content, communicate in instant messengers and social networks, and even make phone calls. With the increase in screen diagonal and resolution, the load on the battery has also increased. We no longer have enough 5V 2A. We get mad when smartphones take 2 hours to charge. Therefore, manufacturers have adopted Fast Charge, but many users have many questions about this technology.
For example, how bad is fast charging for a battery? Is it true that smartphones can explode when exposed to increased current? Is there a difference between Mediatek Pump Express and Qualcomm Quick Charge? And how does fast charging actually work? This article answers these and many other questions.
Asus Boost Master
Today there are a huge number of fast charging standards. Even Chinese brands, like Leagoo and Oukitel, are trying to create their own standard. So let's talk about famous brands. Huawei has its own Super Charge with a maximum power of 22.5 W. Asus Boost Master allows you to charge the device at a voltage of 9V with a current of 2A. Samsung has developed a similar Adaptive Fast Charging technology; it can produce a voltage of 5 or 9V and a current of 2 or 1.67A, respectively. The most interesting technologies will be described below, but for now let's look at how fast charging works in general.
Any fast charging is based on a very simple principle of increasing the current delivered to the battery. But, the increase in power in each of these technologies is achieved in different ways. Somewhere due to an increase in voltage, up to 20V. And somewhere they increase the current to 5-6A. And somewhere they simply combine raising the voltage and current strength.
All fast charging technologies include a smart controller, most often built into the processor, as well as a special charger capable of delivering the required current. Well, sometimes you need a special cable that can carry increased current. But the main question for today is, is fast charging harmful to batteries?
To be honest, the situation is not clear-cut. There are a number of studies that prove the negative impact of fast charging on the battery. But there are also studies that completely refute this. Since it is not clear who is right and who is wrong, I suggest you figure it out yourself.
By and large, modern lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries make absolutely no difference at what current and voltage they will be charged. For example, let’s take the same laptops; they have the same lithium-ion batteries, only larger ones.
Therefore, I think panic is unjustified. But is it true that smartphones can explode due to fast charging? Heat has the most detrimental effect on the battery; it kills the battery and reduces its capacity.
Overheating is the main cause of fires and explosions in batteries. All modern Fast Charge technologies are equipped with a huge number of overheating protection systems.
But why do we regularly see more and more photographs of burnt-out devices online? Because no system can protect a gadget from user influence. Which charges the device with whatever and anyhow.
So never skimp on chargers and cables. Always charge your smartphone with the original charger and cable. Do not charge a damaged device. If the smartphone case is bent, cracked or broken, then it is better not to take risks and not use such a device at all. Never leave a charging smartphone under your pillow, in a thick case or in a bag.
The second important reason for gadget breakdowns is low-quality components or defects. If you buy a phone for 50 bucks, then it's foolish to hope that it has a good battery. Most likely, such a battery is made from low-quality materials. But A-brands also have shortcomings. Just remember all the jokes about the exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
The best fast charging technology
Well, now, for reinforcement and clarity, let’s look at three of the most promising and interesting, in my opinion, fast charging technologies. These are Quick Charge from Qualcomm, the slightly less common Pump Express from Mediatek, and VOOC Flash Charge technology found only in OPPO devices.
Progressive VOOC Flash Charge from OPPO
Let's start with the less familiar VOOC Flash Charge. Although this is less common, it is the most interesting, fastest and most economical technology. At the moment, OPPO has already presented the second version of this technology. It allows you to fully charge a 2500mAh battery in 15 minutes, and in 5 minutes the battery can be replenished by 45%. At the same time, the smartphone is charged with a completely standard voltage of 5V, which does not heat the battery.
These record results were achieved through the use of special batteries that can withstand current up to 4.5A, which is almost 2 times more than in standard charging. The batteries have 8 contacts at once and are divided into several cells, which are charged in parallel. They say that OPPO transferred the technology and it tried to develop its own version of Dash Charge based on VOOC Flash Charge.
The next fast charger is Mediatek Pump Express. It does not depend much on specific batteries and materials from which connectors and cables are made.
Today's current Pump Express 3.0 technology charges the battery from 0 to 70% in just 20 minutes. The technology uses current from 3V with a power of more than 5A. With Pump Express, you can charge the battery directly, bypassing intermediate circuits and without affecting the standard built-in charging circuit.
But this option is only possible when using the USB Type-C connector, because it can greatly reduce energy leakage and reduce heating. There are 20 built-in protection systems to protect against overheating.
The first processor to support Pump Express 3.0 is the Helio P20. It is stated that subsequent chipsets will also receive support for this standard. Mediatek sells its processors by the carload and, in theory, Pump Express should be found in every Mediateke smartphone, but in practice this is not the case. Because the processor supports fast charging, but the manufacturer does not implement this feature because it does not want to mess with the power supply wiring for the needs of the Pump Express and thereby increase the cost of the device.
Perhaps manufacturers are simply concerned about the safety of batteries, which are not always of high quality. Of the smartphones that support fast charging from Mediatek, we can only remember Ulefone Power, Uhans H5000 and Vernee Apollo Lite.
Qualcomm has achieved the greatest success in the field of fast charging. The development of Quick Charge technology has been going on for four generations and has been brought to perfection. All versions of the standard are backward compatible, that is, you can use a version 4 charger with a phone that only supports version 1.
In this case, the charger will switch to Quick Charge 1.0 mode. The Qualcomm standard is supported by a huge number of smartphone and accessory manufacturers. For example, Samsung retains support for Quick Charge. Despite the fact that it has its own developments.
Qualcomm introduced the first version of the standard back in 2013. Since then, the implementation of Quick Charge has not changed much. Integration into mobile devices occurs via a separate chip or together with a Snapdragon chip and a special adapter that can deliver higher current.
With each new version of the Quick Charge standard, it gets faster, smarter and safer. For example, the first generation could charge devices with a voltage of 5V and a current of 2-2.5A. The second generation allowed the use of increased voltage up to 12V; more precisely, the controller itself selected the required value from three fixed voltages 5, 9 or 12V with a maximum current of 3A.
Moreover, in theory, the maximum power of the power supply can reach 18 watts. But with such power, heating problems began to arise, and in subsequent versions engineers paid attention to protecting the battery from overheating. The main innovation of Quick Charge 3.0 is not the increased charging speed, but the technology's ability to save energy by avoiding excess heat generation.
The implementation of this approach was made possible by the new iKnow technology, that is, the intelligent determination of the optimal voltage. Thanks to it, the charger can “communicate” with the device, asking it for the required voltage, which can be anything in the range from 3.2V to 20V in increments of 200mV.
Thus, Quick Charge 3.0 allows you to dynamically adjust to the required voltage. As the battery charges or the controller warms up, the required amperage gradually decreases.
This is also why the last 20% takes longer to charge. As a result, charging occurs very carefully, the battery does not overheat, and its wear is minimized.
A device with support for Quick Charge 4.0 will hit the market this year. This technology is implemented in the Snapdragon 835 chip. The new standard adds several degrees of protection against overheating. There is a built-in cable quality checking system that will prevent the device from being charged from a low-quality or damaged cable.
Well, that's all we have for today. What does the future hold for us? Of course, I want to believe that all smartphone batteries in the future will be based on graphene. Such batteries will boast the properties of super capacitors. And it will take a few minutes to charge them.
They are much cooler than modern lithium-ion batteries and do not lose their capacity even after 2,000 charging cycles and have a higher energy storage density. Perhaps in the very near future, in 7 or 10 years, we will completely switch to them. Because there are already working prototypes.
But what I personally look forward to most are microscopic batteries based on radioactive elements; they will not need to be charged at all, just replaced with new ones every couple of years. But it will take a very, very long time for this technology to be fully implemented.
(Quick Charge), so users actively use this useful technology. QC allows you to quickly and efficiently charge your smartphone; in just an hour, the battery charge is 100% again. For our readers, we have prepared material that will help you learn everything about Quick Charge 3.0 and how it works.
Quick Charge
Qualcomm Technologies continues to introduce new innovations to the mobile device market. At one time, Quick Charge 1.0 technology clearly demonstrated that smartphones can charge 40% faster than with conventional charging.
A year later, QC 2.0 was introduced, allowing the device to be charged 75% faster. In addition, various accessories compatible with this technology were presented.
In 2015, Qualcomm Technologies continues to develop its industry. Quick Charge 3.0 charges even faster and more efficiently. By the end of 2017, Xiaomi has already released more than 10 smartphone models that support QC 3.0
With Quick Charge technology, a higher level of current is supplied to the battery, thus charging as quickly as possible.
For successful charging, the device and the charger itself must be compatible with the same voltage and current.
For example, if the phone supports a 9V/2A charger, but it charges with a 1A charger, the process will take much longer.
Another example, if a charger with a specified current of 2A is used to charge a smartphone that supports a maximum of 0.7A, this will not make it charge faster.
The phone can also be charged faster if a similar charger is used, but with a higher current.
Note: products without a certificate are not guaranteed declared effectiveness.
How does Quick Charge technology work?
Quick Charge technology allows you to optimize the energy supply to your smartphone battery during the first stages of charging.
Thus, some phones can be charged up to 80% in just half an hour. However, in the final stages of charging, the energy transfer is not as high, regardless of which charging technology is used.
Consequently, the battery can be charged up to 50% in a short amount of time, but you will still have to wait more than an hour to fully charge the smartphone.
QC 3.0 charges mobile devices 4 times faster. Compared to QC 2, charging speed has increased by almost forty percent.
Qualcomm focuses consumers' attention not on increased charging speeds, but on increased efficiency. Thus, the main innovation in the technology is the INOV function, which is capable of intelligently selecting the required voltage, more accurately optimizing the power and charging time of a particular device.
Differences between QC 3.0 and previous versions
To understand the main differences between the latest version of quick charge technology and previous ones, just look at the table below:
After reviewing, we can conclude that due to the increased voltage, the charging time of devices decreased from version to version. The maximum power in the third version remained almost the same as in the second - 18 W. At the same time, low voltage batteries receive higher power. Thanks to this, they charge much faster.
Why doesn't my phone support fast charging? This is exactly the question most often asked by owners of smartphones that do not support Quick Charge. For example, owners of a new smartphone running stock Android would be very disappointed by the lack of Quick Charge in the device.
The problem is that Qualcomm's technology is proprietary. And its support depends on the model of the installed processor. These are the nuances that developers take into account when releasing a new smartphone.
According to the instructions from the Qualcomm website, they do not prohibit the use of certified adapters on phones without fast charging. Yes, your smartphone will charge properly, but you won't be able to experience all the benefits of Quick Charge when charging your device.
Conclusion
The Quick Change function is quite promising and in demand. The developers are not sitting idly by, but are improving it, complementing the 4th generation of fast charging technology with new functions.
Users will be pleasantly surprised by the new Xiaomi smartphones supporting Quick Change 4.0, the presentation of which is expected in the first quarter of 2018.
