Apple finally added fast charging to their arsenal of technology with iPhone 8 and iPhone X. It was a joyous (and embarrassing) moment for Apple loyalists who were browsing for Qi chargers on Amazon while their social media feed flooded with ‘We had it two years ago’ jokes from Android users.
Fast Charging Tech Out There And Why They’re Inadequate
There are a lot of fast charging devices out there – Dash Charge and Warp Charge for OnePlus, SuperVOOC for Oppo, SuperCharge for Huawei, and the most popular Quick Charge by Qualcomm. However, all of these devices have one huge problem – none of them are universally compatible!
The USB-PD – And Why We Love It
But hold on to those thoughts of despair and darkness,
It gets even better! USB-C is set to become to default port across brands, and, if this happens, the next logical step is to make USB-PD the go-to fast charger, taking all of the aforementioned fast chargers out of the game.
Going from better to the best – Apple has already adopted USB-C as the new charging standard for their MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iPads, meaning that you may soon get fast charging for all your Apple products with a universal charger. So get ready to say goodbye to tangled wire messes and the exorbitant prices attached to each charger.
Not an Ideal Solution … Yet!
No matter how cool the USB-PD may sound, it has its flaws. The first of them being it isn’t compatible with the USB-A ports and requires a USB-C connector along with a lightning wire. The problem here lies in the fact that even the newest generations of iPhones come with a USB-A cord and port, and good USB-C connectors are both expensive and hard to find.
The second con is that with its 18W power supply for smartphones, it lags sorely behind the 20W and 30W supply power of OnePlus’ Dash Charge and Warp Charge respectively. And, unlike the OnePlus models, the USB-PD slows down its speed of power delivery when the device is in use.
To add further salt to the wound, USB-PD also causes the phone to heat up as the voltage conversion is done by the phone instead of by the charger (Good job, ever cool Dash and Warp Chargers!). There’s also no real way to tell whether or not your Apple is fast charging, unlike the Android devices which notify their owner of this.
Still Worth it? Absolutely
But, no matter the cons, we’re willing to live this life because just think about it, you could actually go to your friend’s house or office and find a fast charger that fits your Apple devices – what a world! And Apple, just make a move and start selling the USB-C ports and fast charging lightning wires with the iPhones already! Why are you even dragging your feet on this?