Fast-charging technology has been around for many years now, morphing through many forms across the best smartphones of the last decade. Chinese brands have long led the way in terms of power and speed, evolving from once ground-breaking 40W capabilities in HUAWEI’s early SuperCharge models to over 100W via HyperCharge and other standards. While faster charging times have been a boon for us power users, ever-higher power levels have rightly led many to be skeptical of the effects on long-term battery health.
Smartphone batteries are finicky bits of kit. They dislike extremely high temperatures and require very careful voltage calibration as they reach full charge, something fast charging technologies have sometimes pushed right to the limit in the pursuit of ever-quicker charge times. Annecodaily, a couple of friends have felt the sting of this double-edged sword, with once fast-to-charge HUAWEI and OnePlus flagships struggling to make it through a full day anymore. Their batteries prematurely aged after just two or three years of use.