Qualcomm today unveiled Quick Charge 5 as its new fast charging technology that is touted to charge devices from 0 to 50 percent in just five minutes. As a successor to Quick Charge 4+, unveiled back in June 2017, the new fast commercial charging technology is claimed to offer up to 10 percent cooler yet up to four times faster and up to 70 percent more efficient experience. It also supports 2S battery packs and is optimised for both USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) and USB Type-C technologies. Quick Charge 5 is currently in its testing phase, though devices based on the new technology are expected to debut starting the third quarter of this year.
The Quick Charge 5 technology supports more than 100W charging capabilities, while its predecessor Quick Charge 4+ supported 45W power. The new technology also has backward compatibility with Quick Charge 2.0 and later versions as well as handsets using an existing Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC.
Compared to the Quick Charge 4 and Quick Charge 4+, the Quick Charge 5 technology is claimed to offer up to a 10-degree Celsius cooler experience on a 4,000mAh battery. The new development is also rated to be 10 times more powerful than the first-generation Quick Charge tech.
The Quick Charge 5 technology is claimed to charge a battery from zero to 100 percent in 15 minutes. This is significantly faster than the Quick Charge 4+, that is claimed to charge a battery from 0 to 15 percent in 15 minutes. Also, the presence of 2S battery pack support enables handset manufacturers to offer faster charging experiences even when using dual batteries.
To help extend battery life cycles, the new technology uses Qualcomm’s Battery Saver and Smart Identification of Adapter Capabilities. It also enables dual and triple charge technology and works with adaptive input voltage to protect the battery while offering faster charging.
The Quick Charge 5 technology is initially supported on Snapdragon 865, Snapdragon 865+, and next-generation premium and high-tier Snapdragon mobile platforms. However, Qualcomm would enable its presence on devices based on Snapdragon 700-series and earlier generations in the future.
“We work closely with manufacturers to create industry-leading devices that meet consumers’ demand for more immersive and accessible mobile experiences,” said Ev Roach, VP Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, in a statement.
Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 5 will compete against Oppo’s 125W Flash Charge technology that was unveiled earlier this month — which claims to charge a 4,000mAh battery in just 20 minutes. Realme also recently brought its 125W UltraDART fast charging technology that seems to be a rebranded version of the Oppo offering.
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