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It is no secret that most of us, these days, heavily rely on smart devices, be it for work, entertainment, studying, or just chilling a bit, hence it has practically become a necessity to have them charged at all times. This is where fast charging technology comes into play.
Working in a profession where I need to spend the majority of my day in front of a screen, fast chargers are an indispensable tool for me. They are not only fast and reliable but also time-efficient, some fast chargers can even charge phones from 0-50% in as little as 5 minutes. (Qualcomm: Fast Charging)
Fascinating, isn’t it? If you are also curious to know more about the science behind it, then you are at the right place, because in this article, I’ll answer all your questions related to this technology.
Let’s Define It First!
Before starting with all the procedures and reasoning behind the fast charging technology, let me give you a brief idea of what it exactly is. It refers to charging technology that is a lot more powerful and faster in comparison to the conventional charging we all once used.
The majority of the traditional chargers supply roughly five watts of power, on the other hand, fast counterparts start with at least fifteen watts and can go up to more than one hundred watts.
In a nutshell, you can understand it as, when you use a fast charger, you drastically decrease the time it takes to recharge your device. The primary purpose of this technology is to supply your battery with an enormous amount of power when your battery is almost completely drained.
Some of you might be worried about the damage it might cause, well ease up because something like this will prevent any deterioration to the battery since they are way more receptive to fast charging when they are empty. But keep in mind that if you want to make the most out of this innovation, you need to have a compatible cable and/or charger.
There is a possibility that you might find yourself in a situation where you don’t have one with you, so what to do in such situations?
For example, I recently traveled abroad where the outlets were entirely different from the ones in my country, that is when a travel adapter helped me plug my electronic devices into these outlets. They are generally very convenient and almost like lifesavers for people who travel frequently, particularly abroad.
DO YOU KNOW? The global mobile charger market was valued at $36.1 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2024 to 2030.
How Does Fast Charging Work?
Finally, coming to the most interesting segment, let’s discuss how these chargers work. This entire process occurs in two phases. During the first one, the charging rate is pushed at a very fast rate through a high voltage. A vast majority of brands nowadays are trying their best to supply the maximum power in the first half an hour, after plugging in the charger.
Then begins the next phase. Once you see that the battery has reached eighty percent, it means that the fast charger has started decreasing the voltage. Now, you may ask, ‘Why does this happen?’ The reason for this is to prevent overheating and overcharging of the battery.
It will help boost the efficacy and longevity of your battery, and the device as well. To explain to you in simple words, when your charger starts charging the battery, the voltage increases to reach high levels. Then, the current remains constant at a very high level, resulting in a massive amount of power getting transferred to your device.
As soon as the voltage reaches the peak, the current immediately drops. Furthermore, when the battery is completely charged, the power is transferred at a slow rate.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Fast Charging?
There are three types of fast charging options offering unique features and optimal for different devices. I have prepared the following list to provide you with the required knowledge for these common types of fast chargers.
USB-PD – This is by far the most popular type of fast charging. Since it is of so-called open standard, practically any manufacturer can utilize it. Additionally, it can also offer you different power levels, ranging from five watts to two hundred and forty watts. This means that it’s ideal if you are looking for a charging solution for a wide variety of devices, like cell phones, tablets, and laptops.
Pump express – MediaTek developed this method of charging. It can optimize the charging times for your device by adjusting the voltage that’s delivered to the battery during charging.
Not only does its adaptive voltage scaling enable you to quickly and effectively charge your battery, drastically decreasing charging time, but it also simultaneously ensures that no harm is done to your battery.
Quick charge – Another very popular method is quick charge. Invented by Qualcomm, it is pretty widespread among smartphone users. It can also support various power levels, up to one hundred watts. Additionally, this method perfectly functions with many Snapdragon processors for tablets and mobile phones.
FUN FACT Wireless charging technology is improving so rapidly that we may soon see wireless chargers that can recharge your phone faster than wired chargers. Some companies are already experimenting with up to 40W wireless charging speeds.
Why Is Fast Charging So Beneficial?
I can provide you with a variety of reasons why fast charging can be perceived as beneficial. First and foremost, it is time-effective, it significantly reduces the time to charge your device. For instance, it doesn’t even take thirty minutes for my phone’s battery to get more than 50% charged.
Besides that, it is highly convenient too as some of us need to continuously work on our devices, and it can sometimes be challenging to spare a little time from our busy schedules to even put those devices on charge. But with fast charging, we can charge our cell phones/tablets/laptops during breaks, regardless of the location.
Another thing I can certainly tell you is that, it’s the fact that fast charging has completely transformed the way we charge our devices. Since, these solutions dramatically decrease waiting times, making our digital lives much simpler and more convenient.
Gaurav Rathore
