Fast-charging is a big deal in the mobile technology industry. It makes sense, too—we live in a fast-paced world today, and the ability to fully charge your phone in a short space of time is appreciated by almost everybody. There are a variety of standards, of course, but one of the most commonly used fast-charging standards has just gotten an update: this is Qualcomm‘s Quick Charge 5 (QC5).
It has been awhile since Qualcomm’s last fast-charging launch, but Quick Charge 5 certainly comes with all the bells and whistles that you could desire. The company promises charging speeds of over 100W, saying that a 4,500mAh battery can be charged from 0–50 percent in just five minutes; they’re calling this the “world’s fastest commercial charging solution”. Meanwhile, a full charge takes 15 minutes, which is pretty staggering.
Quick Charge 5, according to the company, is four times faster than Quick Charge 4, while efficiency has been improved by 70 percent as well. A quick history lesson: QC5 has 10 times the power delivery of the first Quick Charge standard.
One of the technologies behind QC 5, according to Anandtech, is the use of USB- Power Delivery Programmable Power Supply (PD-PPS). This basically means that QC 5 could have cross compatibility, with standard USB PD-PPS chargers possibly supported at full charging speeds. Additionally, the new charging standard supports 2S batteries, which are becoming more common now as manufacturers chase faster charging speeds.
According to Ev Roach, VP Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies:
“Quick Charge 5, our fastest and most versatile charging solution, will enable consumers to enjoy their devices for longer periods of time, without worrying about the time required to recharge. We are proud to expand our technology portfolio and make accessible 100W+ charging a commercial reality.”
Backwards compatibility is also supported, with older Quick Charge adapters and devices still working with new QC5 hardware. Do note that you’ll be limited to the max charging outputs of these older adapters, however.
Qualcomm is currently testing out Quick Charge 5 with customers, and commercial availability is expected during Q3 2020. The latest standard will only be supported on Snapdragon 865 SoCs and newer, so be sure to keep your eye out for phone launches that have Qualcomm SoCs in them during the second half of 2020.
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