Fast charging for smartphones: varieties and generations
Pump Express is the simplest fast charging technology developed by MediaTek for budget smartphones with Helio processors, such as Tecno or Infinix. While newer MediaTek Dimensity processors already support Power Delivery. It provides charging speeds of only up to 18 W, which, however, is still twice as fast as conventional 10 W USB charging. Compatible with power supplies of other standards of similar power. During the game, it can power the smartphone processor directly, temporarily stopping the battery charging process to avoid overheating and throttling.
Quick Charge is a more advanced fast charging technology from Qualcomm. It works only on Snapdragon processors, but depending on the smartphone manufacturer it may be called differently, for example Adaptive Fast Charging for Samsung or Turbo Charger / Power Charger for Motorola. There are three widely used versions of Quick Charge technology. Version 2.0 offers charging speeds of 15-18W, but, unlike the aforementioned Pump Express, requires a QC certified power supply.
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| Qualcomm Quick Charge supports parallel charging. |
In addition, smartphones with QC 2.0 can install two PCIM power controllers at once for parallel charging and reduced heating. Quick Charge power supplies version 3.0 are capable of delivering 27-36 W of power, but they definitely require a USB Type-C cable (while QC 2.0 could also work via MicroUSB). Version 4.0 with a power of 45 W is already compatible with Power Delivery technology, which allows you to charge both smartphones and laptops with a single power supply. Further development of QC 5.0 aims to increase charging speeds to 100W.
Power Delivery is perhaps the most promising fast charging technology, because it is open. Anyone can create PD-enabled mobile gadgets and chargers. Uses a USB Type-C cable with additional VBUS pins, through which communication is carried out between the power source and the power receiver. The VBUS bus works in parallel with USB, so it does not depend on its version, even the old USB 2.0. And it does not interfere with the transmission of other information via Type-C, be it a Display Port video signal or Ethernet Internet, which allows you to create multifunctional docking stations.
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| USB Type-C cable with VBUS pins for Power Delivery. |
If the cable is old without VBUS, charging will still try to deliver at least a slightly accelerated 18-22 W. Complete power supplies for smartphones with PD start at 33 W, and for laptops - at 45 W. Xiaomi Redmi/Poco, Google Pixel and Apple iPhone smartphones are compatible with PD. The transition from version PD 2.0 to 3.0 brought even higher powers: 67, 100 and 140 W. Finally, the fastest USB Type-C charging is 240 W, which is achieved with a very high voltage of 48 V. This allows you to connect either a solar battery or an external video card via Type-C.
Super VOOC is a very unusual fast charging technology that uses high current (low volts, high amps) instead of high voltage. Therefore, a thick USB cable with a wide cross-section of copper cores inside is required. Initially, the name VOOC was specific to power supplies only for OPPO smartphones. But over time, the parent company BBK Electronics made Super VOOC a uniform standard for its other brands. So, Realme's old charger name was Dart Charge, OnePlus 's was Dash Charge or Warp Charge, and Vivo's was Super Flash Charge. Now all this is gradually being replaced by SV.
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| Super VOOC is used in OPPO, Realme, OnePlus, Vivo. |
The current version of Super VOOC is 2.0, which starts at 33 W (11 volts, 3 amps). And the maximum technology can produce 240 W, but the voltage and current differ from the similar Power Delivery (20 V, 12 A). The downside of the SV is its limited compatibility with most high-power power banks, which only support Quick Charge and Power Delivery. That is, it will not be possible to charge at full speed either an SV smartphone from a power bank, or a power bank from an SV power supply. There are relatively few specialized Super VOOC power banks on sale.
Realme C67 is a powerful smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 processor with a frequency of 2.8 GHz and an Adreno 610 graphics card, which gives 340 thousand points in AnTuTu. The IPS display has a 1080p resolution, increased Hertz and a peak brightness of 950 nits, making it easy to read in the sun. At the two ends of the smartphone there are stereo speakers with a software volume increase of +100%.
Physical RAM 8 GB with software expandability up to 16 GB. There is a solid 256 GB of permanent memory and you can also install a MicroSD card up to 2 TB. The 5000 mAh battery charges quickly using Super VOOC 33W technology. The corresponding power supply unit, Type-C cable and transparent case are included with the smartphone. IP54 moisture protection is implemented.
If the front camera is simple - only 8 MP, then the rear one is truly impressive. 108 MP module with 3x matrix zoom for photos and electronic hand shake stabilization EIS for video recording. The latest Android 14 operating system is complemented by the proprietary Realme UI shell with an animated Mini Capsule 2.0 status bar.
Tecno Spark 20 is an affordable smartphone with a 32 megapixel selfie camera, and even with a flash. There are two rear cameras: a 50 MP main one with a function of combining four pixels to increase aperture, and an additional one for the bokeh effect. HiOS artificial intelligence automatically selects the optimal photography settings.
The processor is an eight-core MediaTek Helio G85 with a frequency of 2 GHz and a Mali-G52 MC2 graphics accelerator. In the AnTuTu benchmark we get approximately 265 thousand points. Taking into account the relatively low screen resolution of 720p, the performance is quite enough for most popular games: WoT Blitz, PUBG, CoD Mobile, LoL Wild Rift, etc. The only exception is the heavyweight Genshin Impact.
RAM is strictly 8 GB, and permanent memory is 128 or 256 GB. Until recently, only flagship smartphones could boast such figures. The battery capacity is 5000 mAh, and the Pump Express charging speed is 18 W. Pleasant bonuses are an increased screen refresh rate of 90 Hz, stereo speakers and modern wireless communication modules: Wi-Fi AC, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC.
Gelius Genesis GP-HC055 is a very compact Incredible series charger weighing only 42 grams. Built on advanced GaN technology, that is, gallium nitride transistors, which heat up significantly less than classic silicon ones. This made it possible to fit the charger into a miniature translucent case made of fireproof plastic.
It has two USB ports: one full-size Type-A, and the second smaller Type-C. The first supports the Quick Charge fast charging standard with a power of up to 18 W. The second one is already standardized Power Delivery up to 30 W. Moreover, an output voltage of 20 V is supported to charge not only smartphones and tablets, but even some laptops.
If you connect two gadgets at the same time, then only 10 W will be supplied to each of them. The charger is reliably protected from short circuits, power surges, overloads and lightning. There are no cables included with the Genesis GP-HC055, but they are usually included with iPhone and Android smartphones. There is also an even more powerful Gelius Nimble 65W charger with three USB ports (45+10+10 W).
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