Electronic products play an important role in our life, a college student or young professional who is fond of electronic gadgets usually has a smartphone and a laptop as the most basic electronic equipment, along with essential portable devices like TWS earphones and power banks. and those who exercise may have a smartwatch. As one of the popular game device, Switch, is also a device that needs to be charged.
However, selecting the right charger for mobile phone has always been a challenging task. When you’re done with this article, you'll have all the necessary knowledge to choose the optimal charger for your smartphone, laptop, and other electronic devices.
We all know that a mobile phone cannot be directly connected to a 100-220V power source. A charging system consists of a power supply, a charger and a data cable. The charger is to transform the high-voltage pulses into low-voltage pulses, to produce a steady direct current suitable for the mobile phone.
During the early years, it is much easier to find a right charger for your cellphone, as you can find the original in the shipping box. The original charger allow you to enjoy the maximum charging speed that the phone can reach. Things changed after the iPhone 12, Now, Some knowledge about charging protocols is a must that charge your phone faster.
You may have noticed that the time it takes to fully charge a phone can vary from model to model, and even the same phone model, the time it takes to reach 50% can vary. The key factor lies in the "charging protocol" In the period prior to 2011,The charging protocol is simple, usually 5V/100mA, 5V/500mA, 5V/900mA, all of which were less than 5W. With the rapid increase in sales of smartphones, a variety of fast charging protocols have been introduced to save time waiting for charging. Such as Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC2.0/3.0/QC4+,QC5), MediaTek PumpExpress Plus (PE+ 1.0/2.0), Huawei Fast Charging Protocol (FCP), Huawei Super Charging protocol (SCP), OPPO VOOC protocol, USB Power Delivery (USB PD 2.0, 3.0, PPS), and more.
Huawei introduced the FCP as a proprietary protocol standard in 2015, which resembles QC2.0 and facilitates up to 18W charging power of 9V/2A. FCP protocols employ high voltage, low current charging technology, and are extensively utilized in early Huawei and Honor phones.
FCP is transitioned to SCP (Super Fast Charging Protocol) in 2016. The most significant change is that SCP is capable of supporting charging power of up to 22.5W and features two fast charging options 4.5V/5A and 5V/4.5A. SCP is a low-voltage and high-current fast charging protocol with the benefits of improve efficiency.
In subsequent upgrades, SCP is gradually improved and supports higher power charging, such as 10V/4A, 11V/6A or even 20V/5A 100W. Now, some manufacturers are authorized to enable SCP 40W superfast charging.
VOOC was introduced by OPPO in 2014,uses low voltage and high current. Support 5V/5A 25W maximum power.
This protocol was quickly replaced by a version that supports higher charging power, reaching 30W at a voltage of 5V and a charging current of 6A. And then to 50W, 65W, and 125W.
VOOC 4.0 was launched in 2022, and the charging power reached an astonishing 150W (20V / 7.5A), which can charge a 4,500mAh battery to 50% in 5 minutes or 100% in 15 minutes.
In the year of 2014 Qualcomm released the QC2.0 protocol, which includes two standards: Class A and Class B. Among them, Class A standard QC2.0 only supports three voltage levels of 5V, 9V, and 12V, while Class B supports four voltage levels of 5V, 9V, 12V, and 20V, and supports a maximum output of 3A 18W.
Qualcomm introduced the QC3.0 protocol in 2016, which was a significant improvement over its predecessor. The most notable enhancement was the ability to adjust the voltage in increments of 0.2V, allowing for voltage output ranging from 3.6V to 20V, thereby optimizing charging efficiency. QC3.0 also includes two standards - Class A and Class B, with Class A supporting a maximum output voltage of 12V, and Class B supporting voltage output ranging from 3.6V to 20V. It can deliver a maximum charging power of 36W, which was the highest charging power available at the time.
In 2020, Qualcomm released the QC5.0 version of the charging protocol, which support a maximum charging power of 100W+ (20V/5A). The QC5.0 protocol adopts double charging and triple charging technology, which greatly improves the charging power of the device. Its charging efficiency is 70% higher than that of the previous versions,
USB PD is a fast charging standard launched by USB-IF, the standardization organization of USB. After nearly 10 years of development and updating, it has undergone several iconic iterations from the initial 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, PPS, to the current PD3.1, and the power has ranged from the initial 10W to the current 240W.
In August 2014, USB-IF released the revolutionary TYPE-C 1.0 interface standard and USB PD2.0 standard. Not only stipulates that the USB Type-C interface is the only standard interface, but also gives this interface more functions, such as charging, data transmission, audio transmission, etc. In terms of charging, USB PD2.0 defines that it supports 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V, and 20V outputs, and the maximum charging power reaches 100W.
The latest PD charging protocol adds three extended output voltages of 28V, 36V, and 48V, and the maximum power is expanded from 100W to 240W. In addition, three sets of adjustable voltage levels (AVS for short, the minimum voltage adjustment is not only 0.1V) have been added to the extended power range, namely 15V-28V 5A, 15V-36V 5A and 15V-48V 5A.
The race over phone charging protocols is far from over, finding the right charger among so many fast charging protocols can be somewhat of a headache. A better solution will be refer to the instruction manual. Usually, knowing the private agreement of the mobile phone brand will narrow down the selection.
Alternatively, if you wish to cover all possibilities without knowing the fast charging protocol, The two standards will ensure that you are covered for most devices, including both older and newer models.
Ideally, each device should have its own charger. But what if the case a charger is shared within families, and among phones and tablets across brands. Will this be a disaster?
Fortunately, the general charger will have a built-in smart chip, which can automatically identify the current and voltage required by the mobile phone, and then adjust itself to provide the mobile phone with a current and voltage within a safe range. This allows you to share chargers between different devices.
For example, if you use a 40W fast charging charger on a mobile phone that only supports 4.5V/5A,the charging speed will narrow down to be an acceptable charging speed, that is 22.5W instead of 40W. So will not damage the mobile phone battery.
Thanks to the clever invention of the manufacturer, mobile phones will not be damaged due to the use of mismatched chargers.
Please note that, this does not happen when a low power charger is used for charging a phone with higher power. When you chargers with limited power on a mobile phone that supports fast charging, not only is the charging slow, but the charger will also appear in a load state, which is prone to overheating, and there are also potential safety hazards.
Although high-power chargers tend to have a better compatible range than low-power chargers. Using more advanced chargers to charge devices is often reliable, while using older chargers to charge the latest electronics requires careful consideration.
A multi-socket charger can allow multiple devices to be charged at the same time and save space, which is especially useful when travelling, but will multi-socket chargers affect charging efficiency?
Generally speaking, a charger that supports multiple devices fast charging synchronously must have multiple independent circuit modules to control the voltage of different output ports. The following are three common solutions:
In recent years, the USB PD fast charging standard has become the dominant standard in the market, and various charging accessory brands have been enhancing the design of multi-port chargers. These multi-port chargers feature individual circuit designs for each output port, ensuring that the fast charging performance of a single device is consistent with that of multiple devices, without interference between each others.
Parallel independent module, the voltage is controlled by the protocol chip. Match the power output status of each interface according to different equipment usage.
Power distribution independent module adopts multi-port power intelligent distribution. This solution takes into account the comprehensive experience of full power output, multiple interfaces, small size, power density, and cost performance, and is currently the most common solution for multi-port products.
When we discuss whether you can use the same charger between different mobile phones brands, What we're actually talking about is whether they are using a common charging protocol. For example, most of the newly launched models in recent years support the PD fast charging protocol.
Generally speaking, as long as the interface is consistent, the charger may be compatible with different mobile phones brands. For example, PD 3.0 is compatible with the protocols of various manufacturers, but this compatibility does not mean that the charger can reach the list power on the specifications sheet.
Anyway, betting on the PD charging protocol is a reasonable way to go, if you fail to find out the charging protocol.
Another useful tip is to choose a charger with higher wattage to meet demands from the vast majority of phones, tablets and laptops. And never forget the importance of quality.
Don't underestimate the importance of branding, as it may be worth paying a modest fee to ensure a more dependable product. A trustworthy brand is not only more likely to adhere to stringent production standards, including materials and workmanship, but also to integrate charging standards and keep your device secure.
Both CE and FCC certifications are important regulatory standards required for electronic products to be sold in certain regions. CE certification is a mandatory requirement in the European Economic Area and indicates that the product meets specific health, safety, and environmental standards. FCC certification, on the other hand, is mandatory in the United States and certifies that the product complies with electromagnetic interference standards set by the Federal Communications Commission. These certifications provide assurance to consumers that the products they purchase meet certain safety and performance standards.
The "回" mark means that the charger is protected by double-layer insulation, that the charger has two types of insulation methods. When the first insulation method does not work, the second one will take effect. The mark can be considered as an important reference.
A few helpful details to save you from wasting your money on a poor quality product. Like the surface, the color and the combination. Broadly speaking, a qualified charger should have a flat and smooth surface without burrs,the colour should be uniform, the joining of parts should be seamless. Although the weight cannot directly tell the quality of product, a charger that is too light is likely to be caused by the manufacturer using inferior plastics.
Now you should know which are the most important when choosing a charger and are confident in choosing the right one. But that doesn't mean everything,The magic for correctly fast charging your smartphone needs a data cable, choosing a right data cable is also important. Ideally, you should use the original charger and cable, or they should from the same brand, to be consistent in charging standard.