Today, almost every mobile phone has a fast charging feature. It has become commonplace that when looking at the technical specifications of almost any smartphone, we see terms such as 40, 60 and even 120 W fast charging. However, just recently we were talking about fast charging with a power of only 10 W. So, what should be the acceptable minimum to talk about fast charging a mobile phone? Although there is no standard, Google wants to create one for Android 15.
What should be the minimum to talk about fast charging?
Google thinks they have the answer to start creating a standard for how much power we should consider when fast charging, and we’d say this offering is vastly superior to the vast majority of cell phones, including models from three or four years ago: any power above 7.5 W is fast charging.
Android Authority says this standard will be included in Android 15, which is in its third beta as of this writing. According to the publication, Android 15 will feature a legend Fast charging (fast charging) when connecting any charger with a power of more than 7.5 W; Slow charging when connecting any charger with a power of less than 5 W and Charger when connecting any charger with a power from 5 to 7.5 W.
Of course, just because Google is starting to include these Legends in Android 15 doesn’t mean 7.5W can currently be considered fast charging, especially when its own models support significantly higher wattage. For example, the Google Pixel 8 supports 27W fast charging, while the Google Pixel 8 Pro supports 30W chargers.
But then, at what power can we talk about fast charging?
We did a Google search and came across an article by Case Mate, a company that specializes in premium mobile phone cases. Their verdict is also not very revealing: “a fast charger provides power between 10 and 65 watts, although technically, anything above 2.5 watts is considered fast charging.” Explain.
We’re not yet convinced, so we think the most telling thing is to state the position: We think we can talk about fast charging when the power provided by the charger can recharge 50% of the battery in 30 minutes. Of course, there are two factors to achieve this condition: charger power and battery capacity.
Let’s take the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 as an example. This smartphone is compatible with 33W fast charging and has a 5000mAh battery. According to Xiaomi, with this power, 50% of the battery is charged in 30 minutes.
Of course, there are other smartphones whose charging power is significantly higher than what we consider fast charging. For example, there is the Realme GT 6 that supports 120W fast charging that can charge 50% of a 5500mAh battery in just 10 minutes.
In your opinion, what power is enough to talk about fast charging?
Source: Digital Trends
