prologue
Watts are the new megapixels. In the field of fast charging for smartphones, the numbers race is progressing at full speed. Some companies choose not to participate (Apple and Samsung, but also Google and Sony), while others are wielding powers that were unthinkable until recently. Having just experienced Realme’s 240W solution on the GT3, you can read our findings in our full review of that phone.
But 240W is no longer the maximum wattage someone is putting into a cell phone battery. No, I don’t mean Redmi’s lab test of his 300W was done some time ago.
Now there’s an Infinix all-around fast charging with 260W stamped on the box, and that’s the box in the office. It also has wireless rated at 110W, which is even more impressive in its own context. Both have to be recorded and there are some pretty wild numbers to report.
However, there is a small caveat to mention before proceeding. Realme’s 240W charging is in production devices, Redmi looks like it’s on a test bench somewhere, but Infinix’s solution is somewhere in between. The company seems so confident in its technology that it doesn’t mind sending it to reviewers, but it’s not yet a commercial-grade product you’ll find in stores. You won’t have to wait too long because we promise we can.
The vehicle that showcases All-Round Fast Charge, the phone is a modified version of the Infinix Zero Ultra. Changes include a slightly smaller battery capacity (4,400mAh compared to the standard phone’s 4,500mAh) and the addition of an induction coil – the Zero Ultra doesn’t support wireless charging. It’s worth pointing out that the “garden variety” Zero Utlra itself is no slouch when it comes to charging speeds, claiming speeds of 180W and an empty-to-full time of 12 minutes.
Unpacking
The Demo Infinix fast charging phone arrived in a specially designed box with fancy numbers engraved on the lid. The included 260W adapter is pretty chunky, as is the wireless charging pad. A single USB-C cable is included, which is used to charge the phone directly from the adapter or to power an inductive charger from the adapter.
technology
Infinix’s documentation states that it uses a 12C battery. That means you can theoretically recharge in 5 minutes (60 minutes divided by the C rating). It also says it uses a four pump system as opposed to the two pumps seen in previous fast charging designs. It means it’s charging, and the voltage reported by Android suggests two batteries wired in series. It is nominally 7.4V as opposed to the normal 3.7V.
The GaN AC adapter is rated up to 20V/13A and the included cable is also rated to support 13 amps.
As for the wireless charging “dock” (as they call it, it might actually be more appropriate than the “pad” we usually use), it allows for both vertical and horizontal placement of the phone. , with a built-in fan to help heat dissipation. In our experience, the fan is pretty loud, but with a super-fast wireless charger, it probably doesn’t have a place on your bedside table.
Infinix details that it has implemented 142 hardware and software measures to protect the phone and peripherals during fast charging. 21 of them are temperature sensors. The company’s internal tests have proven that the battery retains 90% of its original capacity after 1000 charge-discharge cycles, or two years of use, so it’s been used quite frequently.
Procedure of test
Infinix has specified a test procedure to achieve the advertised charging speed. It’s usually not logical to expect users to actually follow a pre-set procedure, but their recommendations aren’t far-fetched and match somewhat closely with our usual testing methods. was The results can be conveniently compared to those shown in the charging speed section of the review.
They requested that the phone be discharged (probably quickly) to a 4% state of charge and left for 30 minutes to naturally drop to 1%. I haven’t closely observed this particular procedure, but let the phone sit idle at 1% for at least 15 minutes between the quick discharge phase and the start of charging to reduce the internal temperature.
Tests were conducted at room temperature. In this particular reviewer’s living room, he was at least two degrees cooler than the recommended 25C. The phone was left on for testing and the screen was off as it wasn’t disturbed during the process.
result
In our wired charging test, the demo phone reported reaching 100% after being plugged in for 6 minutes and 27 seconds, but continued to draw power for much longer, with Android running out of battery after 7 minutes and 51 minutes of charging. Reported “full” status. start. Technically, this is the first number we publish in our review, and it’s common for phones to report 100% before actually reaching full health and cutting the charge.
It reached 25% in the first 60 seconds and 50% state of charge in 2:13 minutes, as promised in the Infinix documentation.
I would say this was our most “standard” run, but after a few more iterations, one run went to 100% at 5:48 minutes and another took 7:13 minutes. rice field. Reported “full” status at 8:40 minutes and changed. No temperature anomalies were observed and all three runs peaked at 47 degrees at the end of the process.
It can be said that no changes were made to the test procedure between runs, but the 7:13 minute run had a power meter connected between the phone and its cable. It may or may not have impacted performance, but in the early stages it ran the slowest, so I’m relying on “may”. This is mostly why I refrain from posting power meter readings. I consider this to be another case of “observing a phenomenon changes it”.
When charging wirelessly, the Infinix Demo phone reached 100% at 14:28 minutes and took another 3 minutes to report a “full” state at 17:34 minutes. At 44% at 5 minutes, at 6:05 he reached 50% and 73% after 10 minutes.
We don’t keep a database of wireless charging speeds as they often can’t be tested with the “best” wireless charger for a particular phone and that’s one area where a proprietary solution makes all the difference. , done with wired charging, but usually there’s a phone-specific wired charger in the box in that case. Here is:
instead of conclusion
Opinions are divided on ultra-fast charging in the office. The problem is that it’s almost impossible to do a really objective long-term test in the real world compared to “slow” charging. So the longevity discussion is more theoretical, but the practical benefits of fast charging are immediately observable.
There is an inevitable question – how fast is it? sufficient? half an hour? 10 minutes? Five? Doesn’t it say “fast enough”? Well, we try to stay away from this kind of philosophical debate – if we can’t work it out between ourselves, who will answer it for you. It’s just a group of people with stopwatches.
