What just happened? Realme just took the crown for the world's fastest charging solution with its new 320W SuperSonic Charge system. Unveiled at an event in Shenzhen earlier this month, the technology can power up an empty smartphone battery in under 5 minutes. Supported phones can charge to 26% in a minute and to 50% in less than two minutes. A full charge takes 4 minutes and 30 seconds. This beats the previous record holder – Xiaomi Redmi's 300W charger from early 2023 which took nearly 5 minutes.
Fast-charging technology normally works by simultaneously juicing up multiple battery cells at once rather than the typical sequential approach. But Realme's demo model was slightly different in that it had four cells stacked together in a folding design to mimic the shape of satellite panels.
The company claims this unique folded battery packs in a higher 4,420 mAh capacity compared to conventional batteries, offering around 10% more juice. Each miniaturized cell is layered to condense more charging capability into a confined space.
Today's #realme828FanFest is all about nonstop vibes! We'll keep dropping those epic moments in the comments. Word is, Chase is about to drop the mind-blowing #320WFastestCharge to us. Are you hyped? pic.twitter.com/UyQ15vFsJr
– realme Global (@realmeglobal) August 14, 2024
Crazy-fast charging requires an equally powerful charger brick. For that, Realme had its new "Pocket Cannon" adapter with a staggering 3.3 watts per cubic centimeter power density. That's a decent step up from last year's 240W charger and its 2.34 W/cc adapter. The charger is compatible with multiple fast-charging protocols like UFCS, PD, and SuperVOOC.
For simultaneous charging, it can dish out up to 150W for Realme phones and 65W for laptops through its dual USB-C ports.
Charging speed demos have become something of an obsession for Chinese phone makers over the past few years. But while prototype systems routinely flaunt crazy-fast 200W+ wattages on stage, actual production models tend to top out at around 150W. That's still impressive, though, considering many laptops charge at such speeds.
There are likely good reasons why companies cap the real-world speeds below those demo numbers. Pushing batteries to their absolute limits could severely impact longevity and generate excessive heat. Not to mention the inevitable price premiums such cutting-edge charging tech would demand.
For safety, Realme has integrated an "AirGap" voltage transformer to isolate the high voltages from a phone's battery during any circuit issues. This trick uses contact-free electromagnetic conversion to step down the voltage to a phone-friendly 20V. It also allows the 320W system to maintain an impressive 93% charging efficiency too.
However, we'll have to see how well this speed translates to real-world use once products with SuperSonic Charge actually ship – if they do at all.
World's fastest smartphone charging tech goes 0-100% in under 5 minutes
