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What’s your most important feature or specification when buying a new phone? Chances are, it’s a big screen, cameras, or storage, and you rarely think about charging speed. Most phones have some type of “fast charging” technology, and we all take it for granted, but it changed how I use my phone.
Think about how long it took for your first smartphone to charge. Depending on your age, that could significantly differ from how things are today. We went from devices being tethered to the wall for 3 hours to phones like the OnePlus 13 offering 80-100W charging that can give you enough battery to last all day after 10 minutes plugged in. Whether you realize it or not, it’s a pretty big deal.
Phone Charging Wasn’t Always This Good
I owned the first Android device, the original T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), which only had slow 5W charging. Yes, it had 5W charging over mini-USB, and it took nearly 3 hours to charge its tiny 1,150mAh battery.
Several years later, when I bought the fancy Galaxy S5 in 2014, it only had 10W charging. And while it was advertised as a device with fast charging, and I loved it back then, it wasn’t all that fast. Oh, have the times changed! Samsung’s current models offer 45W charging, and some brands have pushed beyond 120W with “SuperVOOC fast charging technology” and other wild names.
Two things truly made me value this feature and changed everything. One wasthe move to USB-C, and then it was a specific device. In 2019, when Samsung switched to 25W Adaptive Fast Charging on my Galaxy S10+ 5G, it was a big deal. I could have a nearly dead phone, plug it in, and within about 25 minutes, it’d be at 65-70%, enough to last the rest of the day or throughout the night. Game-changer.
Phones Recharge Super Fast Now
For comparison, my current Galaxy S25+ supports 45W charging. I can top off its huge 4,900 mAh battery in a little over an hour—and countless phones support even faster charging technology than Samsung offers.
These days, we have 30W, 45W, 65W, 80W, 120W, and 125W on select Motorola phones, and more. This technologycomes in many different forms or names, including Qualcomm Quick Charge, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging or Super Fast Charging, OnePlus SuperVOOC or Dash Charging, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), Super Charge Protocol, Apple Fast Charge, MediaTek Pump Express, Motorola Turbo Power, and Xiaomi Mi Charge Turbo, to name a few.
Most companies that don’t have their own charging technology use USB-PD or Qualcomm Quick Charge, or adapt it to their specific device. Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ tops out at 100W, and you may find it in select phones that use a Qualcomm processor.
No More Battery Anxiety
If you’re still using an older phone stuck with 10W, 15W, or even 25W charging, you don’t know what you’re missing. Once you upgrade to a device that can go from 0-70% in minutes, it’ll change how you use your phone.
Think about those days when you hope and pray that your phone lasts an entire shift at work without running out of battery. Not to mention all those work trips, vacations, or a whole day away from the house—and all the battery anxiety that comes with it.
For me, that’s a thing of the past. I no longer plug my phone in overnight, and I’m not constantly charging multiple portable power banks. I still thinkeveryone should own a few portable chargers, but it’s no longer a near requirement to take one to the airport or on a vacation. Why? Because you can simply spot-charge your phone at any given moment and get tons of battery life.
If your phone supports fast charging, you only need a 20-minute commute to work to get a full charge, or at least close enough that it’ll last until late into the evening. Toss it on afast car chargeron your way to work, and you’ll be set when you arrive. I don’t charge my phone at night. Instead, I toss it on the charger for 15–20 minutes while driving, watching TV, or between meetings at work. Honestly, that’s all I need and all you should need.
UGREEN 130W Car Charger
With 100W power delivery via one of its USB-C ports, the UGREEN 130W Car Charger can juice up most mobile devices, including laptops, at their top speed.
Better yet, simply charge your phone for 20 minutes in the morning while you shower, get dressed, and head out for the day. No matter what you’re doing or where you’re going, you should have enough juice if your phone supports 45W or faster charging.
I’m always amazed that my wife, brother, and friends with iPhones constantly have dead batteries. Sure, Apple was a bit late to the “fast charging” game, but even the iPhone 8 supported USB-PD, it just didn’t have the right charger in the box. The latest iPhone 16 Pro Max can go from 0-50% in under 30 minutes, or even fasterwith the right charger. You can spot charge your iPhone too, whether in the car or each morning for a half an hour before work.
While there are manythings I care about when buying a new phone, the size of the battery isn’t one of them. And that’s all thanks to fast charging technology. The same thing applies to fast charging on headphones, earbuds, and that smartwatch on your wrist. Just remember that things weren’t always this way.
