Quick Charge and Fast Charge are two of the most popular fast charging protocols, but do you know how they compare to USB Power Delivery? If not, this guide is here to clear things up. Designed to safely deliver higher power without damaging your devices, Quick Charge and Fast Charge have become widely adopted by manufacturers like Qualcomm and Apple. Whether you’re looking for a fast Android charger, a fast Apple charger, or a universal charger that supports Quick Charge and Fast Charge, this guide will help you navigate the often confusing world of fast charging protocols.
Content
- USB Power Delivery (PD)
- Qualcomm Quick Charge
- Apple Fast Charge
- Samsung Super Fast Charging
- MediaTek Pump Express
- Huawei SuperCharge
- Oppo VOOC/ Super VOOC
- OnePlus Warp Charge
- Wrapping Up
| Fast Charging Protocol | Maximum Power | Compatible Devices |
|---|---|---|
| USB Power Delivery (PD) | 240W | Universal – phones, tablets, laptops & more |
| Qualcomm QuickCharge | 100W (latest version) | Android devices with Qualcomm chipsets |
| Apple Fast Charge | 18-96W (iPhone maximum 20W) | iPhone 8 and up iPad |
| Samsung Super Fast Charging | 45W | Galaxy S Series (S10 onward) Note Series (Note 10 onward) Z Series A Series (select models) |
| MediaTek Pump Express | 30W (4.0) | Devices w/ these chipsets: MediaTek Helio P60 MediaTek MT6795 MediaTek MT6735 MediaTek MT6732 MediaTek MT6592 |
| Huawei SuperCharge | 66W | Certain Huawei and Honor devices, Matepad |
| Oppo Super VOOC | 240W | Oppo Find X, R17 Pro, Reno (various) OnePlus 8T, 9, 9 Pro, 10 Pro, Nord Series Realme X2 Pro, X50 Pro, GT Series Vivo iQOO Series |
| OnePlus Warp Charge | 65W | OnePlus 8T, 9, 9 Pro, 10 Pro, Nord 2 5G (65W) OnePlus 7 Pro, 7T, 7T Pro, Nord, N10, Nord CE (30W) |
USB Power Delivery (PD)
USB Power Delivery (USB PD) is probably the most standardized (and popular) charging standard in the market right now. It is a fast-charging standard designed to transfer more power over a USB connection. In addition to faster charging speeds, USB PD is universal by design, meaning it is compatible with many devices and consumer products.
USB PD achieves this by automatically adjusting the amount of voltage and current it supplies to a device. This ensures that your device charges more efficiently without overheating. As USB PD supports multiple voltage levels, it can charge a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, docks and even monitors.
USB PD can deliver up to 240W of power, which is more than enough to charge beefy laptops and other power hungry devices simultaneously. The only downside to USB PD is that the technology can be pricey. USB PD chargers command a pretty penny.
Additionally, you can’t use just any ordinary USB cable. You will need to shell out for USB PD compatible cables. Despite this, USB PD is super-efficient and many modern devices support it. This makes USB PD a contender for the most versatile charging protocol currently available.
Qualcomm Quick Charge
Qualcomm Quick Charge is a proprietary charging protocol by Qualcomm. It was initially developed for mobile devices using Qualcomm processors. As the name suggests, Quick Charge charges devices faster by increasing the voltage instead of the current, which helps prevent overheating. Quick Charge adjusts the voltage depending on the power requirements of the device being charged.
The latest version of Quick Charge technology is capable of delivering up to 100W power. Newer Quick Charge chargers can still be used with devices that support older versions of Quick Charge tech. As Quick Charge is proprietary, it is often found on devices that utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. However, Quick Charge can be found on a variety of Android devices too, ranging from smartphones to tablets.
Apple Fast Charge
Apple Fast Charge is a feature available on certain iPhones and iPads that allows them to charge up to 50% in about 30 minutes. This is achieved by using a higher wattage power adapter and a USB-C to Lightning or USB-C cable. Apple Fast Charge is based on USB PD. This means that third-party USB PD chargers can be used with Apple devices that support Fast Charge, which is honestly pretty surprising given Apple’s “walled garden” business model.
Apple Fast Charge technology supports many iterations of the iPhone and iPad. That said, Apple has instituted some limitations. The most notable is that once your device reaches 50% charge, the charging speed slows significantly. This is intentional, as Apple put this in place to protect the device’s battery.
Samsung Super Fast Charging
Samsung’s Super Fast Charging comes out of the ashes of an older protocol – Adaptive Fast Charging. It wasn’t really all that fast, at least by today’s standards, topping out at a mere 18W. Super Fast Charging is definitely an improvement, capable of delivering a minimum of 25W and up to 45W in some devices. But it’s still a far cry from some of the other charging technologies mentioned.
An advantage that Samsung’s Super Fast Charging tech has is that it is based on USB Power Delivery standards. You can use a USB PD charger made by any manufacturer with your Samsung device to achieve Super Fast Charging speeds. As mentioned, Super Fast Charging isn’t the fastest; however, Samsung has opted to sacrifice speed for the right reasons. Capping speeds help minimize heat, which in turn protects the health of the battery and prolongs its lifespan.
MediaTek Pump Express
Arguably one of the least known charging protocols available, MediaTek Pump Express is a fast-charging technology designed for devices using MediaTek processors. Like other charging tech on this list, MediaTek Pump Express aims to charge devices faster while maintaining battery health.
Since its inception, Pump Express has undergone a few revamps that have improved efficiency and compatibility. The newest version of Pump Express is based on USB PD, so speeds can be achieved with third-party chargers that provide the required voltage and amperage.
Unfortunately, Pump Express is only compatible with devices that use MediaTek chipsets. Furthermore, not every MediaTek-powered device is compatible with the latest iteration of Pump Express. Charging speeds can vary between devices. If you want to take advantage of the latest version of Pump Express, you’ll need to adopt a device using MediaTek’s new Dimensity series processors, which can be found in high-end, mid-range and even budget handsets.
Huawei SuperCharge
In addition to developing its own operating system, Huawei also has SuperCharge – an in-house fast charging technology. This technology comes in a bunch of different speeds ranging from 22.5W to 100W.
SuperCharge is proprietary, so it’s only available on certain Huawei devices. For those who can still get their hands on a Huawei, you’ll need a device that supports SuperCharge and a SuperCharge power brick to take advantage of the increased speeds.
Oppo VOOC/ Super VOOC
Oppo’s proprietary charging technology is Voltage Open Loop Multi-Step Constant-Current Charging. You can see why they opted for the acronym. Like other fast charging tech, VOOC and its more advanced counterpart, Super VOOC, rapidly charge a device’s battery while minimizing heat generation.
Unfortunately, VOOC and Super VOOC are only available in select Oppo, Realme, OnePlus and Vivo devices. This is due to the technology being dependent on the design of the hardware. Super VOOC operates on a split battery system. The device actually has two separate battery cells instead of the standard single cell used by other brands. This allows Super VOOC to charge both cells simultaneously, allowing it to achieve blazing fast charging speeds. The fastest Super VOOC compatible devices can charge a battery from 0-100 percent in less than ten minutes!
OnePlus Warp Charge
Another proprietary charging technology, appropriately called Warp Charge, is OnePlus’s foray into the charging speed trials. The latest version, Warp Charge 65, is impressive. It is capable of delivering 65W of power. OnePlus claims that it is capable of charging a device to 50% in 20 minutes and 100% in 39 minutes. OnePlus Warp Charge is only compatible with certain OnePlus devices.
At the time of this writing, Warp Charge 65 is only compatible with a handful of devices. However, OnePlus also has older versions of Warp Charge that cover a number of other devices, including older flagships and mid-range products. Fortunately, newer Warp Charge chargers and cables are backwards compatible.
Wrapping Up
Some of the charging protocols we covered are proprietary, which means you can only take advantage of them if you stick with that brand’s devices and accessories. However, universal charging protocols like USB Power Delivery is compatible with virtually everything. Granted, this tech costs a bit more than your standard USB chargers, but it’s totally worth it. If you can’t stand cables, we’ve rounded up the best wireless chargers as well. Finally, if you’re on the go, make sure you bring along a high-capacity power bank so that you never run out of juice!