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Qualcomm has recently introduced its new high-end processor for smartphones, the Snapdragon 835. And with it will also come a renewal in the Quick Charge fast charging system. The new version, Quick Charge 4.0, will allow you to obtain up to 5 hours of autonomy for the phone with only 5 minutes of charging. In addition, this technology will be compatible with the new, increasingly widespread USB standards: USB type C and USB-PD (Power Delivery).
Quick Charge 4.0 improves the fast charge function
Compared with the previous version, Quick Charge 4.0 of Qualcomm will further accelerate the burden of smartphones to provide more autonomy with less loading time. Specifically, charging will be 20% faster and 30% more efficient.
Additionally, to address the concerns of many users about battery protection, the new system also incorporates numerous safety enhancements to preserve battery life, such as over-voltage or over-current protection, and even measures to analyze and keep under control the temperature that the device reaches during the charging process.
In practice, smartphones with Quick Charge 4.0 will be able to offer up to 5 hours of use with just a 5 minute charge. All this while maintaining the useful life of the battery, as it will maintain its factory operating capacity (at least 80% of original conditions) even after 500 charges.
The new Qualcomm circuits that will be able to integrate this new version of fast charging technology will begin to be manufactured already at the end of 2016, and it is likely that in the first half of 2017 we will begin to see the first smartphones that will ship this system from the factory.
Advantages and disadvantages of fast charging
The fast charge function has started to be incorporated as standard in an increasing number of smartphones. Although the system Quick Charge of Qualcomm is one of the best known, we must not forget that many phone manufacturers have also developed their own technologies to ensure that users can get great autonomy within minutes of charging.
The advantage is obvious: if you are short on time, it will only be necessary to connect the smartphone to a power source for 5 or 10 minutes (depending on the phone model and the specific fast charging system). That will be enough to enjoy the phone for a few more hours.
However, as we have already mentioned, in general, the life of smartphone batteries suffers after a certain number of charge cycles using this function. This means that, after a year or a year and a half since the purchase of the phone, the battery life with each charge is reduced and the real autonomy of the smartphone is no longer what it offered when it was new.
The possibility of overloading or overheating also exists, and therefore manufacturers have to pay close attention to the quality of the built-in safety systems to avoid surprises. That explains why Qualcomm has been so insistent on adding new battery protection measures in its Quick Charge 4.0 version.
