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Mobile Technology

Oppo's new battery can fully charge a dead phone in 15 minutes

By David Nield
February 24, 2016
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15 minutes is all it takes for this phone to go from zero to a full charge – but it's only a prototype for now
David Nield/Gizmag
The 15-minute claim is based on a 2,500 mAh battery
David Nield/Gizmag
OPPO's Super VOOC Flash Charge is made possible via a proprietary algorithm and customized hardware, the company says
OPPO has been showcasing its products – and its FC Barcelona sponsorship – at Mobile World Congress
15 minutes is all it takes for this phone to go from zero to a full charge – but it's only a prototype for now
David Nield/Gizmag
View gallery - 4 images

It might not feel like it, but lithium-ion battery tech is improving all the time, and Chinese electronics manufacturer Oppo is at Mobile World Congress showing off a new version of its ultra-fast charging technology. The company promises Super Vooc Flash Charge will get your battery level from 0 to 100 percent in just a quarter of an hour.

That's a bold claim but one it was backing up with a demo at its MWC booth in Barcelona. The company has given no fixed date on when it's going to appear on a phone you can actually go out and buy – or which phones will support it – but apparently we won't have to wait too long, according to Oppo's reps at the conference.

That 15-minute window applies to a 2,500 mAh battery, Oppo says (the Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 3,000 mAh one, for example), and the company also says you'll be able to get 10 hours of talk time from just five minutes of charging. If you're heading out of the door and in a rush, that's going to make a huge difference, at least in theory.

OPPO's Super VOOC Flash Charge is made possible via a proprietary algorithm and customized hardware, the company says

In recent years manufacturers and electronics firms have been much more successful at improving charging times than extending the lifespans of of our portable gadgets – the fact that our phones keep getting lighter and thinner plays a part in that as well. Nearly every top-end Android phone now includes a version of Qualcomm's Quick Charge tech, and the new Quick Charge 3.0 technology (available in the LG G5) can get a 2,750 mAh battery from 0 percent to 80 percent in 35 minutes.

Oppo's Super Vooc Flash Charge is a step above even that. It combines a new "low-voltage pulse-charge algorithm" with a customized battery, adapter, cable and connector. While microUSB and USB Type-C interfaces are supported, you're going to need the whole setup to benefit from the super-fast charging. We wouldn't be surprised if that meant needing an Oppo phone, at least at first, but there's also no reason other smartphone OEMs couldn't license the setup.

When the technology finally appears in a consumer phone (from Oppo or any other company), we can put it to the test.

Source: OPPO

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Mobile TechnologyBatteriesChargingOpposmartphonesMobile World Congress 2016
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David Nield
Dave is a UK-based freelance technology journalist who has been writing about apps, gadgets and the Web for more than a decade.
8 comments
Vikingvista
Compared to 15 *seconds* to swap a battery a reboot a phone (which requires no outlet).
Mr. Hensley Garlington
Exactly, Vikingvista. This is great tech, but moving away from swappable batteries is the dumbest thing ever. So is moving away from removable storage.
habakak
99.99% of the time people recharge their phones. Battery swapping is by far a very impractical solution and a Band-Aid at best. We need fast-charging for so many things. For one it will solve the last of 2 remaining shortcoming of the electrical car. This is the kind of innovation that we need.
Knut
They have new batteries that will replace lithium already that will charge in 15 minutes. I agree with the above - replacement battery is no longer used. I have a 4000mAh tiny "Powerbank" and that has eliminated the need for the extra battery. These are getting better, and will eliminate the need to swap batteries entirely. But I doubt these will be able to provide fast charge.
Derek Howe
I don't want to carry around another battery, so I'm all for faster charging...for everything. The thing that I don't like about this is all the proprietary stuff, USB type C is just beginning to take off, which is great, cause it's a great cable. People (myself included) like it when one cable can be used for your phone, tablet, laptop, ect. I don't want another style of cable out there. I which they could just improve the type C cable, instead of building their own.
katgod
You need to ask the question, what happens to my battery life when I fast charge my battery?
ijsmith
Hmm. 2500mAH battery in 15 minutes. At 100% charging efficiency that would require 10A. Pulse charging implies even bigger pulses than 10A. That requires a seriously fat cable and connector. (I think that's evident from the picture.) Standard USB connectors won't do that, so a non-standard upgrade will be needed. Let's hope it works, as it sounds like a great idea.
dodsheli
Store dot have presented 2 years ago a smartphone that charges at 1 min: http://www.store-dot.com/#!smartphones/c1u5l, wonder when will they have their product ready....
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