Fast charging quietly changed my life, and it might change yours too

I’m old enough to remember when most smartphones topped out at 5W or even 10W charging speeds. In fact, my first proper Android phone was 2012’s Sony Xperia V, and it offered a mere 5W power level.

The world has moved on rapidly, with 45W, 65W, 80W, and even 120W charge speeds now available. But even so, some users still prefer slow charging. However, to be honest, I think most people don’t realize they want fast charging until they’ve actually used it.

The first phone that made me realize the value of fast charging was my HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro, which I bought in late 2018. The phone packed an impressive 40W charging speed, allowing me to get a full charge in about an hour. This power level also enabled a 70% charge in just 30 minutes. Either way, it changed the way I viewed charging as I quickly went from overnight or evening charging to spot charging whenever it was convenient.

This quickly became indispensable for work trips. It meant I could charge my phone for 15 to 30 minutes between events and meetings and be good to go for the rest of the day. Fast charging has become especially important on these trips as I often bring two or three phones, a laptop, a handheld console, and neckband earphones — but only one USB-C PD charger. It’s not an issue for fast-charging devices, but it does mean that a slow-charging device like my Pixel 7 Pro can become a bottleneck when I have a queue of gadgets that need a top-up.

I’m also a little spontaneous when it comes to grocery shopping, and fast charging has only encouraged this habit. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve decided to shop at the crack of dawn, only to realize my phone’s battery is low. That stops me in my tracks with my Pixel, but it’s not an issue with fast-charging devices like the vivo X200 Ultra. I can plug in, get dressed, put on shoes, use the bathroom, and have at least 20 to 30% extra juice when I need to leave.

Another reason I came to this conclusion about fast charging was speaking to the people in my life. I bought two older POCO phones for my parents earlier this year, which offered ~67W wired charging speeds. “It charges fast!” they noted in surprise when I asked them about their phones a week later. This was also the slightly less surprised but still very positive refrain when I asked them how the phones held up after a month.

My girlfriend also praised this feature when I asked about her mid-tier Xiaomi phone’s 67W charging speed. She’s occasionally realized her battery was low as we were preparing for an outing. However, she notes that she can now plug in, sort out her hair, and get a 50% charge when we have to leave home.

“It’s not that people don’t want it. It’s just not something people think about,” she explained, adding that it wasn’t a priority until she used a phone with this tech.

Fast charging also applies to one of my other gadgets. I still use a pair of OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z neckband earphones that I bought in 2020. I was enticed by the ability to get 10 hours of juice after a 10-minute charge, as I hated the idea of using a charging case. It’s been roughly five years and, despite some minor battery degradation, I still use these earphones when I’m doing chores or playing on my Steam Deck. That’s largely due to the fast charging, which means that even if I forget to charge them, I can get serious playtime within 10 minutes. Best of all, subsequent models increase that figure to 27 hours of playback in 10 minutes.

I’m not the only Android Authority team member who loves fast charging. Senior Writer Aamir Siddiqui said the OnePlus 3 astounded him at the time because it offered fast charging that didn’t heat up the phone. He said Dash/VOOC charging was the reason he kept upgrading to a new OnePlus phone until the OnePlus 8 Pro.

“I can’t even recall the last time I had battery anxiety on a OnePlus phone, because I know I can top up within minutes before heading out,” Aamir explained. He also said that he’s forced himself into a “charging routine” with Samsung, Google, and Apple phones due to their lack of fast charging. That means keeping the phone plugged in during bathtime and dinner so he’s ready to go if he needs to leave home at short notice.

“If I don’t follow the routine, there are days where I don’t reach a full charge, and consequently come very close to a dead phone (which gives me anxiety),” he concludes.

Colleague Ryan Haines also praised fast charging as a great addition he sometimes takes for granted:

I think for me it’s very much a case of ‘I forget how much I like fast charging until I don’t have it’ because I can get so used to it with the Razr Ultra or a OnePlus phone. And then I go back to a Galaxy or an iPhone or a Pixel and I’m like boo this STINKS.

Senior Community Manager Luka Mlinar says having a charged phone is also important for his continuous glucose monitor (CGM):

For me a phone is more than a phone. Having my CGM tracker topped up when leaving the house is a bit more important to me. Having the convenience to put the phone on a charger for five to 10 minutes and getting something like 30% is huge. I personally don’t need fast charging 99% of the time, but that one time in a hundred can be a really big deal.

Meanwhile, Android Authority contributor Tushar Mehta notes that his wife has an iPhone, and that charging doesn’t ordinarily matter to her:

But she also uses a Realme as a backup phone with ~100W charging, and it charges fully in about 30 minutes. She usually charges with a regular USB-C that can also work with her Mac. But every once in a while, I charge it for her with the original charger, and she’s always amazed by how quickly it charges. Of course, she won’t ditch her iPhone but it’s just one of the ways she thinks Android is better. She says Apple will never be able to do this.

“For me, the biggest relief is that I can sleep without worrying about charging my phone at night. I work from home, so that mostly wouldn’t be an issue otherwise, but for days I have to step out for an event, I can get to 100% in less than an hour on most phones I have,” Tushar says. “Essentially, my phone charging habits have evolved significantly (and now I’m spoiled).”

Head of Data Science and Testing Solutions, Rob Triggs, says fast charging has become indispensable:

I’m a chaotic person incapable of sticking to a routine, so fast charging has saved my bacon so many times that I really can’t do without it.

“I think the key thing for the naysayers is, yes, regular charging is fine for 90% of the time, especially if you charge overnight, at your desk, or you’re tethered to a power bank, etc,” Rob explains. “But it’s those ’emergency’ situations where you’re on empty in the middle of the day that fast charging comes into its own; dashing out the door in a hurry, grabbing a quick top-up before you board a long flight, juicing up on a short drive somewhere, etc.”

However, there is an outlier on the team. Jack-of-all-trades Jonathan Feist doesn’t care for fast charging:

While I appreciate the conveniences afforded by fast charging, I truly just want a charger that’ll take about six hours to fill the phone so I can charge while I sleep without worrying about the downside of that strategy. If I have to choose between the two, I would opt for a bigger battery over fast charging. The super-slow charger that takes all night is only helpful if the phone makes it all the way through the day in the first place.

The good news is that many phones today offer large batteries and fast charging. Furthermore, we’ve seen plenty of phones with fast-charging toggles so you can activate super-fast charging only when needed. Another helpful feature we’ve seen over the years is the ability for the phone to trickle-charge during the night and only hit 100% just before you need it.

Early fast-charging phones like my Mate 20 Pro weren’t perfect, as battery degradation was a real problem back then. However, many devices today enjoy impressive charging speeds and can endure plenty of charging cycles.

In any event, I hope Apple, Google, and Samsung embrace fast charging across the board sooner rather than later. In a weird way, it reminds me of the switch to broadband and faster cellular speeds back in the 2000s. I begrudgingly grew accustomed to waiting for webpages and images to load on an EDGE or basic 3G connection. But it’s hard to go back once you’ve experienced significantly faster page and image downloads.

Fast charging has changed how I can get on with my day. A low battery on my slow-charging phone meant waiting 30 to 60 minutes for a meaningful charge before I could leave the house or wall outlet. On my newer phones, though? It just means I’ll need to wait 10 or 15 minutes, and my battery concerns are gone. It’s also been an unexpected draw-card for the people in my life who didn’t think much of this tech in the first place.

Sure, some people prefer slow charging because it suits their routine or because they’re concerned about battery health. I say more power to them, but only figuratively speaking (of course). Everyone else who hasn’t used fast charging should give it a try. It might not change your life immediately, but the time will come when you’ll be glad you had it.