Slow Wireless Charging: The Achille's Heel of Samsung and Apple Smartphones
While the cameras and processors of flagship smartphones are improving, and their storage capacities are increasing, manufacturers rarely highlight their devices’ wireless charging speeds.
As revealed in our analysis, this reticence is not without reason, even though there have been notable achievements in this field.
When discussing premium smartphones, Apple and Samsung devices often come to mind first, and rightly so, given their impressive specifications. Yet, wireless charging does not make it to their list of bragging rights. Both the iPhone 15 family and the Galaxy S24 series max out at a 15-watt wireless charging capacity, translating to a two-hour wait for a full battery charge. The Google Pixel 8 Pro is also mentioned by _Phone Arena_, boasting up to 23 watts for wireless charging, yet still requiring over two hours to fully charge during testing.
So, is slow wireless charging an inevitable weak point? Not according to other manufacturers, especially from China. The latest OnePlus 12 model supports 50 W charging, albeit exclusively with its proprietary Warp 50 charger. However, this allows the phone to be fully charged in less than an hour, more than doubling the charging speed compared to Apple, Samsung, and Google. Devices from Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei also support 50 W wireless charging, each using patented chargers. Moreover, Honor's newest model, the Magic 6 Pro, supports 66 W wireless charging, enabling a depleted smartphone to be fully recharged in just 40 minutes.
But that's not all. Some phones in more limited markets offer even faster charging speeds. For instance, in March last year, Infinix unveiled its 110 W wireless All-Round FastCharge technology, capable of fully charging a phone from 0% to 100% in just 16 minutes. This innovative wireless charging uses unique, low-sensitivity coils with different architectures: fewer but wider coils in the same space to reduce internal resistance and prevent the phone from overheating during charging.
It appears that major brands are sticking with the 15-watt wireless charging standard. This risk-averse, albeit somewhat time-consuming, approach ensures safety. Achieving higher charging speeds would require more advanced cooling systems or complex chargers with cooling mechanisms a risk Apple and Samsung seem unwilling to take, as pointed out by _Phone Arena_.
When discussing premium smartphones, Apple and Samsung devices often come to mind first, and rightly so, given their impressive specifications. Yet, wireless charging does not make it to their list of bragging rights. Both the iPhone 15 family and the Galaxy S24 series max out at a 15-watt wireless charging capacity, translating to a two-hour wait for a full battery charge. The Google Pixel 8 Pro is also mentioned by _Phone Arena_, boasting up to 23 watts for wireless charging, yet still requiring over two hours to fully charge during testing.
So, is slow wireless charging an inevitable weak point? Not according to other manufacturers, especially from China. The latest OnePlus 12 model supports 50 W charging, albeit exclusively with its proprietary Warp 50 charger. However, this allows the phone to be fully charged in less than an hour, more than doubling the charging speed compared to Apple, Samsung, and Google. Devices from Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei also support 50 W wireless charging, each using patented chargers. Moreover, Honor's newest model, the Magic 6 Pro, supports 66 W wireless charging, enabling a depleted smartphone to be fully recharged in just 40 minutes.
But that's not all. Some phones in more limited markets offer even faster charging speeds. For instance, in March last year, Infinix unveiled its 110 W wireless All-Round FastCharge technology, capable of fully charging a phone from 0% to 100% in just 16 minutes. This innovative wireless charging uses unique, low-sensitivity coils with different architectures: fewer but wider coils in the same space to reduce internal resistance and prevent the phone from overheating during charging.
It appears that major brands are sticking with the 15-watt wireless charging standard. This risk-averse, albeit somewhat time-consuming, approach ensures safety. Achieving higher charging speeds would require more advanced cooling systems or complex chargers with cooling mechanisms a risk Apple and Samsung seem unwilling to take, as pointed out by _Phone Arena_.
Translation:
Translated by AI
