What is smartphone fast charging? Everything you need to know about fast charging smartphone batteries

Samsung? That's right, high-performance video chips. This is cool, as it opens up many possibilities, but at the same time the energy consumption of the gadget increases.

Now you will say that along with the improvement of models, the battery capacity has also increased, the dimensions have increased, and therefore the charging time has increased. Unfortunately, we must disappoint you, this did not give a big breakthrough.

But don’t be upset, the manufacturers tried their best, and the new models now have a function fast charging from Samsung! In addition, an additional innovation is the unique wireless charging, which eliminates the need to be constantly “tied to an outlet.”

How does this function work and what are its features? Now you will find out everything!

Energy losses are reduced to a minimum!

Especially for models such as Edge Plus and Galaxy Note 5 was developed such a unique wireless device– Qi charging. At its bottom there are several ventilation holes that cool the system.

Plus, there is a fan in the middle. All this allows you to quickly and easily recharge smartphones in any conditions.

Regarding other models of gadgets, here too the developers have gone further. As you know, the principle of operation of any rechargeable battery is an electrochemical process. It is he who gives and accumulates energy.

So that phones do not discharge quickly and the energy in them is preserved more long time, lithium-based batteries began to be produced. They are responsible for the “fast charging” mode.

When connected, energy is supplied from the charger maximum power in the first stages. This means that your smartphone charges as quickly as possible.

Advantages

This function can be disabled or enabled. When charging from the cable for just 10 minutes, the gadget remains powered for four hours autonomous operation. Agree, previously one could only dream of this!

Wireless charging, which was previously very expensive, is now available to everyone. Since it is sold together with a kit for some models of Samsung smartphones. Wireless charging technology also supports any other devices.

To find out if your phone supports this innovation, do the following:

1. Go to the "Settings" section.
2. Open the "Battery" section.
3. Check to see if there is an app in the list that is using all the battery.
4. The application can be used or disabled.

We can definitely say that the “fast charging” function has made the phones of a well-known company even more advanced and cool! Competitors are clearly biting their elbows.

And all we can do is say: “Bravo!” developers and expect new technological breakthroughs from Samsung!

Long enough mobile phones wasn't needed accelerated charging. Why, if the device was connected to the charger only once every three to four days? But with the advent of smartphones, everything changed. These devices have increased energy consumption. As a result, we have become accustomed to the fact that in most cases they need to be charged every night. But what if you forgot to connect your gadget to the charger in the evening, and you have to go to work in the morning? It is in such situations that fast charging comes to the rescue. While you brush your teeth, make your bed and get ready for work, the battery will be recharged by 50% or even more. Let's talk about this technology in a little more detail.

Any battery operates on the principle of an electromechanical process. It runs in both directions - the battery can receive energy, storing it, or release it. Over the years, engineers have tried different chemical current sources. Previously used nickel And lead, now all batteries for mobile phones are based on lithium. They can be lithium-ion or lithium-polymer - it doesn't matter at all, since fast charging technology works with both types of batteries. The main advantage of lithium is that it does not have a “memory effect”. As a result, you don’t have to wait for the moment when your smartphone is completely discharged. Yes, and you don’t have to charge it to 100%. If it were not for this fact, then fast charging would be useless. As for the disadvantages of lithium batteries, they include a gradual loss of capacity and a fire hazard.

IN modern smartphones put batteries with a capacity from 2000 to 7000 mAh. The nominal battery voltage is most often 3.5-3.7 V. When the battery is fully charged, the voltage can be increased to 4.2 V, which allows increasing the performance of the processor and some other components. As for charging the battery itself, it used to be very simple - the current was supplied with a strictly defined power until the charge level reached approximately 90%. Then the power was gradually reduced so as not to “overcharge” the battery; this was done by a special controller. And so on until reaching 100 percent charge. As a result, the charging time was 2-2.5 hours, depending on the battery capacity.

How does fast charging work?

The company was the first to try to change something Qualcomm. In 2012, it introduced the first version of the technology Quick Charge. According to the idea of ​​the manufacturer of mobile chipsets, at the first stage the charger should produce a current of the maximum possible power. And when the battery controller realized that the charge level had reached a certain level, the power was reduced.

How does fast charging differ from regular charging? Let's look at this with an example. Let's take the most common phone charger (pictured above). On its body we will see the inscription: “Output 5V/1A”. This means that the device outputs a maximum current of 5 volts and 1 ampere. The output power of such a charge is approximately 5 watts. Technology Quick Charge 1.0 changed little. Smartphones that support it have learned to accept electricity with a current of 2 A. All other parameters of the charger remain the same. Given the same battery capacity, full charging is carried out 30% faster.

The second version of the technology from Qualcomm turned out to be much more interesting. It consists of an even closer interaction between the battery controller and the charger. From now on, the current could reach 3 A. Also, now the voltage changed during charging - at first it was 12 V, then decreased to 9 V, and finally dropped to the standard 5 V. Compared to using a traditional charger, the process was accelerated by 60 %! The disadvantage of this technology is the high cost of the charger, because it has a special chip built into it. However, most consumers do not care about this, because most often the charger is included with the smartphone, and the need to buy a new one arises extremely rarely.

In September 2016, Qualcomm introduced the technology Quick Charge 3.0. The chargers and battery controllers that have it are even smarter. Now the optimal voltage is selected individually for specific device and battery charge level. The voltage now varies from 3.6 to 20 V. The change step is only 200 mV. As a result, the third version of the technology turned out to be 38% more effective than the second. Snapdragon 430, 617, 618, 620 and 820 processors received Quick Charge support.

Versatility

Not all smartphones are equipped with a Qualcomm processor. Fortunately, in different devices on Android based There are also other fast charging technologies. Almost all of them work according to the principles described above. In this case, the phone can be connected to a high-performance charger from another manufacturer - nothing will happen to it. In some cases, its power controller will allow you to charge your smartphone at an accelerated pace. In other cases, recharging will proceed in the traditional mode - with a current of 1 or 2 A. In any case, the charger will not harm the device.

However, it is better to use the charger that came in the kit. There have been cases all over the world when the battery caught fire for some reason. This was caused by a Chinese charger and a low-quality USB cable.

Special mention should be made of products under the brand OPPO. It uses a unique technology VOOC Flash Charging. The batteries of smartphones equipped with it have eight contacts. Electricity enters the battery with a current of 4.5 A and a voltage of 5 V. The battery consists of several cells and the current is evenly distributed between them. As a result, recharging occurs very quickly. The manufacturer also claims that its technology is more gentle on the battery without reducing its service life.

Is fast charging harmful for your phone?

What scares some people the most is that fast charging of a smartphone is carried out using increased current. It seems to them that the battery does not tolerate such treatment. Allegedly, in just a year it will have to be changed. Indeed, the first fast charging technologies had an unpleasant feature. The working capacity of the battery quickly decreases if the smartphone is used too actively, charging it once or even twice a day. However, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since 2012, and now everything has changed.

Modern technologies allow the power controller to accept electricity in the amount required by the battery at a specific second. Current and voltage never exceed threshold values. All this is confirmed by numerous experiments from independent experts. They showed that the battery capacity drops at the same rate as when using a conventional charger. Therefore, you can not be afraid to use fast charging - it will only make your life easier.

How to disable fast charging?

If you are still afraid of fast charging, then your further actions depend on how fresh your smartphone is. The fact is that on modern devices, support for this technology is implemented at the controller and firmware level. It is most often impossible to disable fast charging in such gadgets. The only way out is to purchase another charger that does not support fast charging technology.

Well, on smartphones from 2012-2014, disable this function It's still possible. This is done in " Settings", in the section " Battery" On Samsung devices, you may need to visit pre-installed application Smart Manager.

AC adapters with fast charging for Samsung and Apple

The South Korean company Samsung equips many of its smartphones with support for proprietary fast charging technology. The corresponding adapter is supplied with the device. However, some users lose this little accessory, while others require additional “charging”, for example, for use at work. In short, it would be surprising if the South Korean giant did not sell power adapters separately.

IN Russian stores Products with support for fast charging from Samsung cost from 1200 to 1500 rubles - this is quite an adequate price. Adapters are available with or without a cable. What also differs is what kind of connector the wire is equipped with - there have been options with it for quite a long time, since flagships have just such a socket. Largest quantity of the “charges” being carried out are colored in white. But if you try, you can also find a black version on sale, which is much less common.

AC adapters supporting fast charging on AliExpress

The most famous Chinese online store offers many accessories for smartphones. Including in its vastness you can find power adapters with support for fast charging. For example, it is delivered directly from a warehouse in Russia network charging Fonken, with miniature dimensions. The device is primarily intended for smartphones and tablets that support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology. The cost of the accessory is approximately 500 rubles. Not bad, especially considering that it comes with a meter-long USB cable with a high-quality braid.

The adapter from Tiegem also supports the same fast charging technology. This device is already priced at 800 rubles, but it is much more versatile. The fact is that you can connect up to two gadgets to this charger - this is exactly the number of USB ports built here. The current is 2.4 A and the power is 30 W. This charger is ideal for products from Huawei and other large companies.

Of course, this is far from full list power adapters sold through AliExpress. Here you can find the most accessories different forms and colors. There are even solutions with five connectors! Also, for some time now, the Chinese online store allows you to buy original products from the same Samsung - South Korean adapters are now also included in the AliExpress assortment.

IN lately Support for Quick Charge 3.0 is often found in the characteristics of mobile devices - find out how this technology is useful.

IN modern conditions, When social media, Internet access and mobile devices in general are playing an increasingly important role in personal life and at work, it’s difficult to do without a smartphone or tablet, even for a few hours. The desire of users to always stay connected and depend less on an outlet prompted mobile manufacturers to use more powerful batteries and therefore fast charging functions to charge these batteries as quickly as possible.

How does fast charging work?

Fast charging is based on the use of more high voltage. However, both the current and voltage must be compatible with both the mobile device and the charger. Otherwise, the speed will remain the same, but there may be a risk of overheating. We discussed the issue of using non-native power supplies in more detail in.

What is Quick Charge 3.0?

Last fall, American manufacturer Qualcomm presented Quick technology Charge 3.0, which is on at the moment supported by proprietary Snapdragon 821, 820, 620, 618, 617 and 430 chipsets. Compared with the very first Quick Charge 1.0, charging speed has increased by 40%, which is four times faster than in normal mode. However, the difference in speed with its predecessor, Quick Charge 2.0, is not so great. So what is special about the third generation?

Advantages

An innovative step was the introduction of the INOV (Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage, or “Smart Determination of Optimum Voltage”) function. New technology allows you to determine and dynamically adjust the optimal output power directly below this device and stage of the nutrition process. Moreover, the choice of supported voltage indicators has increased - now it is available from 3.2 to 20 V with a minimum change step of 200 mV.

Due to this optimization, the coefficient of wasteful energy expenditure is reduced. This, in turn, not only makes charging more efficient, but also prevents the battery from overheating. This means that the battery is mobile gadget will last much longer. According to the manufacturer, Quick Charge 3.0 is 38% more energy efficient than the second version of this technology.

In addition, Quick Charge 3.0 includes support for fast charging via universal, which more and more smartphone manufacturers are switching to.

Conclusion

Thus, the main feature of Quick Charge 3.0 was not so much the charging speed, but the “ability” to save energy. Now everything is equipped with support for fast charging. flagship smartphones, produced on the basis Snapdragon processor 820/821, and some mid-priced devices.

This article will talk about quite new technology– “Fast charging of a smartphone.” All the advantages and disadvantages will be described, and we will also try to figure out whether this development is necessary for the convenience of consumers.

It is very difficult to imagine today without a smartphone and other modern gadgets. Every day the market is replenished with new models that are much more modern and more powerful than their predecessors. Smartphone screens are becoming larger and brighter, processors are becoming more productive and efficient, and RAM capacity is growing. It all consumes large number energy, and the more intensively you use your smartphone, the faster the battery discharges. Nowadays they are mainly used only lithium batteries with a small capacity, but very reliable and durable. Manufacturers are fighting for their place in the market, so they are striving to reduce the charging time of the phone and make their devices more autonomous.

What is fast charging?

Let's take a closer look at how the fast charging process itself occurs. If we take a regular charger and look at the marking numbers on the case, we will see 5V/1A. The inscription means that this charger produces maximum voltage equal to 5 volts and a current of 1 ampere. Fast charging is capable of delivering 5V/2A. This means that a smartphone with this function can be charged about 40% faster.

The smart controller, which processes the incoming current, is not only built into the memory, but also into the smartphone processor itself. Fast charging often requires a cable that has better throughput.

Is fast charging safe for your phone?

But consumers are not particularly concerned about how this technology works; one question is important to them - “Is fast charging harmful for themselves and for the smartphone?” No one can give a definite answer, but many studies have been conducted, the results of which indicate 100% safety.

Lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries, in principle, there is no difference with what current and voltage the process will take place. The most dangerous factor for integrity and service life is temperature. Regular smartphone batteries are designed for 2000-3000 cycles complete discharge and charging. If you allow the device to overheat, this has a detrimental effect on the battery and significantly reduces its capacity, which means it shortens its operating time. The main thing that experts do not recommend doing is purchasing low-quality, cheap memory devices.

Perhaps the most basic rules safe use fast charging are:

• Do not leave an infected smartphone unattended for a long time;
• Do not cover mobile device pillows, blankets or other fabrics;
• Do not overload the processor and RAM while charging;
• Do not use fast charging if the smartphone case or battery has cracks or other defects;
• Use only original charger and high-quality cable.

A variety of fast charging technologies for smartphones

1. Quick Charge from Qualcomm;
2. Pump Express from Mediatek;
3. VOOC Flash Charge.

The most unfamiliar to us was VOOC Flash Charge. It is less common on the market, but, according to world experts, it provides the most gentle charging of a smartphone. It is also the fastest, but it can only be used with OPPO devices. It can fill a battery with a capacity of 2500-3000 amperes in twenty minutes. OPPO releases its own development called VOOK FLACH CHARGING, which is superior to many others. It has 5V/4.5v characteristics. But ordinary batteries are not able to withstand such current, so OPPO introduced a proprietary battery that has 8 contacts instead of three.

Qualcomm is the leader in the field

In general, the first fast charging was introduced by Qualcomm, called Quick Charge 1.0. It was first introduced in Samsung smartphones, Nexus, Nokia. Qualcomm's Quick Charge has captured most of the charger market. In just a few years it has been practically perfected. More than half of smartphone manufacturers cooperate with this company and actively use the technology in almost all of their gadgets. Even Samsung, which has long been the leader in the smartphone market, with its own developments, often uses technologies from Qualcomm.

The first fast charging appeared in 2013 and with each release of subsequent versions, it became smarter, faster and more reliable. This technology is introduced into a smartphone together with the chip, or through a separate chip. A year later, the company introduced a more powerful and improved Quick charge 2.0, which is capable of charging battery with a current of 3 amperes. This involves reducing the time to fully charged by 70%.

And just recently, Qualcomm released a new charger with Quick charge 3.0. No, it does not charge a smartphone with a current of 3 amperes, it selects the optimal current for faster charging of absolutely any phone. The 3rd generation of technology from Qualcomm became phenomenal, as the developers did not try to speed up charging, but tried to reduce the amount of energy consumed, thereby preventing the generation of excess heat.

Then iKnow technology appeared. It flawlessly adjusted to any battery and any device. The smartphone “communicates” with the charger through it and finds the most optimal voltage. Now the company is preparing to release the smartest and fastest charging version 4.0. There are already several degrees of security here. There will even be a system implemented that will check the cable for damage.

The future of device charging

In conclusion, I would like to talk about the future of our gadgets and their power supply. Of course, time does not stand still and technology moves forward much faster than humans. In the near future, they are going to introduce graphene batteries, which will take a few minutes to fully charge. It is also quite possible that batteries containing radioactive elements will appear. They do not need to be recharged at all, just after a couple of years you will need to replace the old battery with a new one. We will figure out how safe and effective the technologies will be only after they enter the market.

Phones usually run out of charge at the most inopportune moment, when there is catastrophically little time to charge. We turn on the first charger we come across with a wire and wait... Sometimes the charge occurs quickly, and sometimes it takes a treacherously long time, and after a while we are again left without communication.

Let's look at the process of charging a phone and all its components. And we’ll try to give recommendations that will help you choose the right chargers and always stay connected.

Modern communication devices are charged from 5 Volts, this is the voltage present on USB output connector of a computer, router, TV, and so on. Chargers that are plugged into a socket are usually equipped with this connector. But beyond the tension important parameter is the current by which the charge occurs.

If we talk about a computer, then the standard maximum current value for USB 2.0 is 0.5 A (amps), which is not very much for modern devices. If the charging device requires a higher current (1-2 A), then charging will take a painfully long time and may never be completed.

Another USB 3.0 standard (the connector is indicated by blue plastic inside) provides a current of up to 1 A, which is much better, but such connectors are only available on modern computers(TVs, routers and other devices are usually equipped with a connector USB standard 2.0 or even USB 1.1). That is, if we need to charge the phone from a computer, we should, if possible, choose the blue USB 3.0 connector; the device will charge much faster.

It is no coincidence that universal chargers have different prices; in most cases they differ in the maximum possible charging current - the higher the price, the higher the current, as a rule, and, accordingly, the potentially shorter charging time of the device (in this case, we do not take into account the markup for the brand and design) .

Of course, it is important to know the capabilities of your device in order to choose a charger with the required parameters. As a rule, most manufacturers indicate a maximum current of 1 A. But not all actually provide it. To compare different chargers, we will use a tester that shows current and voltage, as well as simulating a consumer with different current consumption.

Ideally, the charger should output 5 Volts and the maximum current that the device being charged can consume. But in reality the picture is different. To eliminate the influence of the cable connecting the charger and the phone, we will connect the tester directly to the charger.

Test 1 (5 Volts and 1 A stated):

We see that the voltage is 120 mV lower than declared and the current is 70 mA less.

Test 2 (5 Volts and 1 A stated):

We see that the voltage is slightly higher than declared and the current differs from the declared one by only 40 mA.

Test 3 (5 Volts and 1 A stated):

We see that the voltage is slightly higher than declared and the current corresponds to the declared one.

Test 4 (stated 5 Volts and 0.7 A):

The voltage and current are significantly lower than the previous ones, so you should not expect fast charging from this device.

Test 5 (stated 5 Volts and 1 A):

Voltage and current correspond to the declared ones.

Test 6 (parameters not indicated):

The voltage and current are lower than the previous ones, you should not expect fast charging from this device.

Test 6 (charger combined with a block of sockets, stated 5 Volts and 2.4 A):

Very decent parameters.

Test 7 (charger combined with a tee of sockets, stated 5 Volts and 1 A):

Very good results.

As we see, not all manufacturers were able to provide the declared characteristics, and in those cases where the voltage is lower than required and the current is lower, we will naturally get more long charging phone or tablet.

Second important element During the charging process there is a cable connecting the charger to the phone. There are many options for such cables, some even with backlight. However, their main parameters are the material of the current-carrying conductors (preferably copper) and the thickness of the conductor (the thicker, the less the cable will affect the charging process). Let's test several cables.

Test 0 (tester connected directly to charger):

Test 1 (cable included with Sony Xperia Z3):

A good cable for a current of 1 A, at 2 A there is an overload and loss of parameters.

Test 2 (cable purchased separately):

Good cable for 1 A, loss of parameters at 2 A.

Test 3 (cable purchased separately):

Bad cable, charging will be very slow.

Test 4 (cable purchased separately):

The leader in fast charging, according to phonearena.com, is the Samsung Galaxy S6 (1 hour 18 minutes with a battery capacity of 2,550 mAh). In second place is Oppo Find 7a (1 hour 22 minutes with a battery capacity of 2,800 mAh), in third place Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (1 hour 35 minutes with 3220 mAh battery capacity),

On the fourth Google location Nexus 6 (1 hour 38 minutes with a battery capacity of 3,220 mAh), in fifth place HTC One M9 (1 hour 46 minutes with a battery capacity of 2840 mAh). Fast charging technology is also supported by: LG G3, OnePlus One, Samsung Galaxy S5, LG G4, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Apple iPhone 6, Motorola Moto G, Sony Xperia Z3 and a number of others.

So, if charging speed is important, you should choose phones that support QuickCharge technology.

Naturally, fast speed charging is possible only when using high-quality chargers and cables that support the required currents and voltages. Of course, it is better to use the charger that comes with your phone. But if it is purchased separately, then when choosing, you should take into account the above described parameters.