A company you may not have heard of says its next flagship phones will have 180W wired fast charging speeds in 2022.
Infinix, a Hong Kong smartphone brand founded in 2013, is gradually introducing its products to the West. When we reviewed the Infinix Note 12 G96, we were impressed with the value it provided, but it appears that Infinix next phones will have the fastest charging speeds in the world when they launch later this year.
According to a press release, Infinix 180W Thunder Charge can charge a 4500mAh battery to 50% in four minutes. In comparison, the 150W Realme GT Neo 3, which charged to 88 percent in 15m, is the fastest charging phone we've reviewed at Gadgets Garena.
In the same amount of time, the 80W OnePlus Nord 2T charged to 65 percent, while the iPhone 13 only managed 20 percent.
Infinix isn't claiming Thunder Charge is the fastest charging in the world, and both Xiaomi and Oppo have teased faster, with 200W and 240W, respectively, with the latter reportedly capable of delivering a full charge in just nine minutes. However, neither has put that technology into a product yet.
Infinix stated that it collaborated with "the world leading battery manufacturers," but confirmed to Gadgets Garena that it cannot reveal who they are.
The technology employs an 8C charging rate, which Infinix claims is the highest charging rate for a rechargeable lithium-ion battery currently available in the smartphone industry.
The 180W Thunder Charge can be used in either 'Standard' or 'Furious mode' - we hope it doesn't get too hot, as fast charging can be dangerous and cause phones to overheat.
"The 180W Thunder Charge cable has an Infinix special encryption chip built in, which outputs 180W power transmission for an ultra-fast charge," Infinix stated in a press release.
"180W Thunder Charge can intelligently detect the power transmission capacity of the cable and adjust accordingly." If a different cable is plugged into the device that does not contain Infinix special encryption chip, the device recognises the cable and limits power to 60W/100W to ensure a safe charge."
The Infinix Zero 8 and the aforementioned Note 12 G96 both had excellent battery life despite their flaws, indicating that the company is well-versed in power consumption.
Charging rate C
Infinix also claimed that while most smartphones with fast charging use a charging rate of 1C to 3C, using 8C for Thunder Charge is still safe.
A C-rate is the rate at which a battery is charged or discharged, with a 1C battery charging from 0% to 100% in an hour. A 2C battery reduces that to 30 minutes, a 3C battery to 20 minutes, and a 4C battery to 15 minutes. It means that Infinix 8C battery should charge completely in about 10 minutes.
"When compared to the conventional single electrode lug structure, the 8C cell has a multi-electrode lug, which reduces more than 50% of the internal resistance and produces less heat," the company stated.
"Furthermore, the 180W Thunder Charge uses two 8C-rated batteries in series, so each battery charging power is only 90W while charging, reducing heat and increasing longevity."
The split-cell method for fast charging has been used to great effect in a number of phones, including the gaming-focused Poco F4 GT. However, phones with the fastest charging speeds do not always have the best battery life, as a trade-off for the faster charging speeds.
Personally, I like being able to plug in a phone like the 80W OnePlus 10 Pro when I wake up and it's only about 30% charged and have it fully charged in 25 minutes or less.
We will be very impressed if Infinix can safely deliver 180W fast charging in a commercial phone. However, it is not the only brand with super-fast charging, and it still has work to do to gain market share from tech leaders such as Oppo and Xiaomi.
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