Mobile charging system does not have any kind of mystery, you plug the charger into the mains, then the cable to the terminal and that’s it. But do you really know all the technologies and terms that are used to charge your smartphone? We are going to tell you.
As we have mentioned before, the fact of charging a smartphone has no secrets for anyone, but when on a website like ours we talk to you about certain terms regarding what is the charge, the battery or the cables, it may be that there miss more.
That is why we thought it was a good idea to be able to show you what is behind the different technologies, different technologies and terminologies that we use when talking about charging a mobile phone, so that, from now on, you can know exactly what is being talked about..
When we charge a smartphone:
- Let’s talk about the charger
- The cables
- Charging on the smartphone itself
Let’s talk about the charger
Undoubtedly we all know for sure what the charger is, that is, we all know that it is the device that connects to the electrical network to make it reach the smartphone through a cable.
Now, there are certain terms, which are often printed on the charger itself to inform us of the parameters of this device, which you may not have so clear about.
Volts and Amps
Volts (V) is the amount of current a charger can transfer when plugged into a device. We are talking about the Voltage that said product has. The Amperes (A) are the speed with which current is supplied when an appliance plugged into the charger.
If we multiply the voltage by the amps, we will obtain the power that the corresponding charger has, that is, the watts (W).
As is evident, the more watts, the greater the power to which our smartphone charges, which must also support this power.
In other words, a mobile phone prepared to charge at 33 W, even if we use a 50 W charger, will continue to charge at its maximum speed.
Use of gallium nitride
As chargers get more powerful, bigger and get hotter, manufacturers have had to resort to a material other than silicon and that is why they have opted for gallium nitride (GaN).
This is because thanks to GaN, devices can be charged much faster, minimizing the problems that could exist due to heat.
The cables
Depending on the type of cable used, the charge will be more or less fast, since the speed not only depends on the charger, but the cable also has a primary function.
That is, even if we place a very powerful charger on a cable that is not, the charging speed that will reach the smartphone will be that of the cable.
The cable that is increasingly used in all smartphones today is the so-called USB C, a model that physically differs from the micro USB in that it does not need a special way to be attached to the mobile phone adapter.
If you remember, the micro USB has a certain way to enter the smartphone, while the USB C can be connected as one wants, it is not dependent on any specific way of placement.
Cables usually end smartphones on a USB Type C or USB micro, but the onset is usually given in a USB type A, although there are some who take another USB C.
The types of USB cables that exist today and their characteristics are shown in this table.
| Type of cable | Features |
|---|---|
| USB Type A | Predominant type in computers and all kinds of peripherals. They have reached the USB 3.1 standard, |
| USB Type B | It is a type of connector that is usually linked to printers and scanners, although less and less is being seen. There is the conventional Type B with standard 1.0 and 2.0, while there is also a type with USB 3.0. |
| USB Type C | It is the most modern of all, the one that is to be implemented in smartphones and computers. It can carry up to USB 4.0 and Thunderbolt 3 system, an alternative standard to conventional HDMI. |
| Micro USB | The first type of USB made smaller to connect to smaller peripherals and smartphones. Currently gives way to USB C. |
| Mini USB | Pre-micro USB system that is now practically disappeared. |
There are different types of standards, with four types depending on the speed at which the data is transferred. We explain it to you in this table.
| USB type | Speeds |
|---|---|
| USB 1.0 | The latest version of this standard is 1.1 which achieves a transfer rate of up to 1.5 MB / s. |
| USB 2.0 | This version achieves speeds of up to 60 MB / s in theory, although in practice it is usually placed at about 40 MB / s |
| USB 3.0 | The latest version is 3.2 in which 2.5 GB / s transfer rate is achieved. |
| USB 4.0 | Its transfer speed reaches up to 5 GB / s |
Power Delivery
The USB C have a standard called Power Delivery getting it from reaching the 100 W, even for a few months reaches speeds of 240 W. We are talking about bidirectional power capacity.
With this, absolutely fast charging times are achieved, making us go from talking about hours charging to only minutes, a great advance in regard to this type of device.
Charging on the smartphone itself
In what is the smartphone we also have certain terms that should be known and understood.
So that it is easier for us to understand everything that the manufacturer marks us with respect to this segment of the mobile phone.
Milliamps per hour
Possibly when reading the characteristics of your mobile or another model, you have read that the battery is, for example, 4,000 mAh, that is, milliamps per hour.
A milliamp is a unit of electrical current that measures one thousandth of an ampere. This may sound a bit strange, but with practical examples you can understand it better.
More and more smartphones use 4,000 mAh for their battery, something that can be considered a good amount.
But don’t let this mislead you, since terminals like the iPhone 12 all conform to amounts below 3,000 mAh.
By this we mean that the cost depends a lot on the phone we have and its energy efficiency.
Fast charging
What we call fast charging is one that has been implemented in many smartphones today, with which speeds are achieved when recovering the battery that a few years ago were unthinkable.
Currently, a mid-range, high-end or premium smartphone cannot be understood without this system. But this is where each brand comes in, that is, we will have fast charging systems depending on what each manufacturer has decided and the technology they use.
Those who use Snapdragon chips, which are a vast majority, will have Quick Charge technology at their disposal. This standard in its version 5.0, uses double or even triple cell batteries to increase the load and reach a quantity of 125 W.
Then there are manufacturers such as OPPO, with its SuperVOOC system reaches those same 125 W and does so by fast charging two batteries at a time, or Xiaomi some time ago announced it would reach 200 W.
Wireless charging
Wireless charging consists of charging our terminal without using any type of cable, only with the contact of the phone and a charger compatible with this system.
This charge consists of generating an electromagnetic field to emit energy and thus capture it at the other end.
The electromagnetic field is what generates the support (wireless charging) and the receiver is our mobile phone. As simple as that.
As is normal, there is also fast charging within wireless charging. It is not as fast as that achieved by cable, but it has developed a lot in recent times.
Reverse charge
Using wireless charging, there are terminals that can act as charging support, that is, as wireless charging for others.
This means that it is possible, as in the Samsung Galaxy S21, that one phone can charge another through the contact of its rear parts.
It is not a particularly fast load, but it can get someone who is running out of load out of more than one trouble and we can share it with them.
Now that you know all the terms and technologies on everything that has to do with charging our smartphone, you will understand much better when you read something about this topic.