Scientists have unveiled the world’s fastest smartphone battery charging technology that can fully charge a smartphone in less than 5 minutes.
The 320-watt fast charging technology, called “320W SuperSonic Charge,” was developed by Chinese consumer electronics company Realme and surpasses previous chargers. Smartphone manufacturer Redmi, a subsidiary of Xiaomi, had previously introduced a 300-watt technology that can charge a device in 4 minutes and 55 seconds in February 2023, but since then no manufacturer has managed to exceed this value – until now.
Realme representatives unveiled the new technology on August 14 at the Realme 828 Fanfest in Shenzhen, China.
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The record-breaking fast charging feature can charge a smartphone battery to 26% in 1 minute and to 50% in less than 2 minutes. According to GSMArena.
Chase just showed it off and let’s just say… the future is now. #realme828Fanfest #320WFastestCharge pic.twitter.com/LLfv4c3lC514 August 2024
Unlike conventional charging, where energy is transferred to a single battery cell or to multiple cells one after the other, fast charging technology charges multiple battery cells in a single battery at the same time.
In the demonstration, Realme representatives fast-charged a folded battery design with a capacity of 4,420 milliampere hours, with four cells stacked on top of each other. This design offers 10% higher capacity than conventional designs, company officials said.
The scientists miniaturized each battery cell into layered structures to pack more charging capacity into a smaller space before folding four battery cells to mimic the shape of satellite panels, according to a promotional video posted on the social platform X.
The company has also developed a power adapter called the Pocket Cannon, which has a power density of 3.3 watts per cubic centimeter. Other devices, including iPhones with a USB-C port, are powered by the adapter, but not at the same speed.
For comparison, a 240W charger that the same company introduced last year was equipped with an adapter with a power density of 2.34 watts per cubic centimeter. This previous technology was able to charge the Realme GT Neo 5 smartphone in less than 10 minutes.
The new adapter can be used with many fast charging standards, company officials said, including UFCS, PD and SuperVOOC, and features two USB-C ports so users can charge two devices at once. Maximum charging rates are up to 150W for Realme smartphones and 65W for compatible laptops.
Representatives from Realme also introduced the “AirGap” voltage converter, which ensures that high voltages are isolated from the smartphone batteries in the event of electrical disturbances such as circuit breaks. This is intended to prevent damage to the smartphone.
The transformer is based on what is known as “contactless electromagnetic conversion”. The tiny transformer reduces the voltage to 20 volts to extend battery life and helps the fast charger maintain 93% energy efficiency when charging.
