Qualcomm says new battery charger delivers 20% faster charging, improved efficiency

Qualcomm Inc has introduced its  latest generation of its fast-charging technology with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4, through  subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.,. Quick Charge 4 will be available with the next generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Snapdragon 835 is expected to ship in commercial devices in the first half of 2017.

According to Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 is designed to provide a superior charging solution by delivering faster charge times and higher efficiency. For typical premium phone users, Quick Charge 4 is engineered to extend smartphone use by five or more hours with only five minutes of charging.

Using Dual Charge, Qualcomm Technologies' parallel charging technology, users can enjoy up to 20 per cent faster charging and up to 30 per cent higher efficiency compared with Quick Charge 3.0. Quick Charge 4 also integrates USB Type-C and USB-PD support, making the industry's most popular battery charging solution available on the widest variety of cables and adapters.

''As mobile devices become more capable and feature rich, people tend to use them more. That's why consumer demand and awareness for fast-charging solutions is now at an all-time high,'' said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. ''Quick Charge 4 addresses that need by providing up to 50 percent battery charge in roughly 15 minutes or less, so you don't have to spend all day chained to your charging cable.''

Quick Charge 4 features the third release of INOV (Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage), a unique power-management algorithm designed by Qualcomm Technologies. INOV now includes real-time thermal management, a technology industry first, which is designed to advance charging optimization by automatically determining and selecting the optimal power transfer level for a given thermal condition.

In addition to providing the most consistent in-box and out-of-box charging experience, Quick Charge 4 comes with advanced safety features for both the adapter and mobile device. Protection is implemented at multiple levels and throughout the entire charging process to more accurately measure voltage, current, and temperature while protecting the battery, system, cables and connectors. An additional layer of protection is also being added to help prevent battery over-charging and regulate current throughout every charge cycle.

For optimal Quick Charge 4 performance, Qualcomm Technologies is introducing the newest power management ICs (PMIC), SMB1380 and SMB1381. With low impedance, up to 95 per cent peak efficiency, and advanced fast charging features, such as battery differential sensing, SMB1380 and SMB1381 are engineered to provide the fastest battery charging from any 5V USB Type-C or high-voltage power source while supporting ultra-thin mobile devices with a charging solution profile of less than 0.8mm. SMB1380/1 is expected to be available before the end of 2016.

Quick Charge's rapidly growing ecosystem consists of more than 100 Quick Charge compatible mobile devices and more than 300 unique accessory products such as wall and car adapters, battery packs and docking stations. In total, over 600 million mobile devices and accessories support Quick Charge technology. This robust ecosystem allows customers to have more variety and availability as well as better prices than other fast-charging solutions that can't offer a comparable solution.