I just started using iQOO 9 Pro. The brand is no stranger to Westerners; it’s the latest entrant to BBK, the Chinese conglomerate that owns OnePlus, OPPO, Vivo and Realme. BBK is positioning iQOO as a Vivo sub-brand, similar to how Realme started under the guidance of OPPO three years ago.
Go back to the device in question. The iQOO 9 Pro targets the flagship market with the best Android phones, so it has a QHD+ AMOLED panel with 120Hz refresh and dynamic scaling, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, and a 50MP gimbal camera, Great for shooting video. The part that was particularly interesting to me was the battery – the iQOO 9 Pro has a 4700mAh battery that charges wirelessly at a ridiculous 120W and 50W. iQOO advertises that it only takes 20 minutes to fully charge, and it only takes 8 minutes to go from zero to 50%.
Although iQOO kicked off the 120W trend last year, it’s not the only brand to do so. Xiaomi’s 11T Pro and 11i also support 120W wired charging, Realme is about to launch a phone that supports 120W charging, and Infinix launched a device up to 160W last year.
Soon we will see 200W charging technology.
Chinese manufacturers are breaking new ground in charging technology every year, and we’re at the point where mainstream mid-range phones can charge at 120W. Meanwhile, Samsung continues to be safe when it comes to charging technology. The South Korean brand offers 45W wired charging on the Galaxy S22+ and S22 Ultra, but from an everyday usage standpoint, these devices don’t charge any faster than the 25W-based S21 series.
Samsung is understandably reluctant to introduce fast charging technology to counter the likes of Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo. The failure of the Note 7 remains a stain on the company’s legacy, so it eschewed the introduction of its own charging standard. Instead, Samsung went wholeheartedly with USB Power Delivery 3.0, making it the default option for flagship and midrange phones for some time.
Using an industry standard like PD 3.0 is good for Samsung, as it doesn’t have to come up with its own solution, and it doesn’t have to worry about overheating or managing thermals. While 25W charging doesn’t sound as exciting as 120W or even 65W, it has proven to be more reliable in the long run. OnePlus and OPPO use 65W charging technology to guarantee no noticeable battery degradation over 800 charge cycles, but that’s not the case in real-world use.
Using industry standards allows Samsung phones to be charged using any USB PD charger.
In this case, Samsung isn’t winning by playing the numbers game here. There’s also the fact that 25W charging is fine for most everyday use cases – my S21 FE took 28 minutes to go from zero to 50%, and a full charge took over 70 minutes. That’s about twice as long as it takes my OnePlus 9 Pro to fully charge, but I don’t mind the added wait time because 99% of the time, I’ll let the phone charge overnight.
That’s where Samsung’s decision to use USB PD works in its favor. Most users will still charge their phone overnight, in which case battery life is more important than whether the phone takes 30 minutes or an hour to fully charge. Phones with 65W or 120W technology will now optimize charging speed based on your usage – if you frequently leave your phone plugged in overnight, they will trickle charge and cut off at 85% to ensure the charger isn’t unnecessary provide electricity.
So while Samsung isn’t leading the fast-charging race, it’s winning where it matters most: battery life.
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