At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022, Chinese smartphone brand Oppo unveiled 150W and 240W SuperVOOC fast charging technology that puts the iPhone 13 series and several other flagship smartphones to shame. Oppo and OnePlus are known for offering insane charging speeds on their smartphones but the brands appear to have outdone themselves this time.
Oppo claims that its 150W SuperVOOC fast charging technology can be used to recharge a 4,500mAh battery in just 15 minutes, with the 50 percent mark coming up in just five minutes. Another BBK group sub-brand, Realme, also introduced 150W UltraDart fast charging technology with its GT Neo 3 smartphone at MWC 2022. Realme’s claims are similar to Oppo’s. It says 50 percent of the battery can be recharged in just five minutes. Unlike Oppo, Realme didn’t say how long a full charge would take.
On the other hand, Oppo’s 240W fast charging technology helps the phone fully recharge in just nine minutes. So, your phone could be recharged while you brush your teeth or fix yourself some breakfast. While we wrap our heads around how this is even possible, check out the technology in action below:
We're speeding up fast charging. ⚡️
OPPO 240W #SUPERVOOC Flash Charge delivers 100% battery in just 9 minutes, for record-breaking, industry-leading speed. 🚀 #OPPOxMWC22 pic.twitter.com/gPDurHh1Qg— OPPO (@oppo) February 28, 2022
For context, the iPhone 13 series is limited to 20W wired fast charging. This brings the iPhone to a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, and a full charge takes approximately two hours. So, Oppo’s 240W SuperVOOC technology could be used to recharge a phone 12 times over in the same time that it takes to recharge an iPhone 13 once! Charging is now the iPhone lineup’s Achilles heel, and Apple certainly has a lot of catching up to do on this front.
That said, the high 150W charging wattage could be a cause of concern in the long run when battery degradation rears its ugly head. Oppo’s 240W SuperVOOC technology shaves just six minutes off the 150W system’s charging time while taking a disproportionately higher toll on the longevity of the smartphone’s battery by supplying higher input power. This could further shrink the service life of a cell, negating the gains that ludicrously fast charging brings. Moreover, battery longevity claims should be taken with a pinch of salt as they can only be verified several months after the fast charging technology becomes publicly available.
Oppo claims that pairing SuperVOOC with its Battery Health Engine (BHE) helps batteries retain 80 percent of their health even after 1,600 charging cycles, which is twice as much as the industry standard of 800 cycles. Realme also claims that its battery management technology can preserve 80 percent health after 1,000 charging cycles.
Oppo’s 150W SuperVOOC technology is expected to make its way to OnePlus phones in Q2 this year while Realme’s 150W charging technology will become publicly available with the GT Neo 3. The brand says it is “coming soon” but hasn’t specified a timeline.
Do you think high charging wattages would be severely detrimental to battery health? Does Apple’s lower fast charging wattage help increase battery longevity or is it just out of sync with the times? Please tell us what you think in the comments section.
