Best Fast-Charging Technologies in the Market. Anker Power IQ vs. Qualcomm Quick Charge

“Charge your phone to 100% in 15 minutes!”. Have you seen similar slogans in many mobile phone ads? Is it possible? What are the best fast-charging technologies on the market? Find all answers in the article.

What is Fast Charging?

Before getting into the most popular fast charging technologies, it is worth to explain in short what Fast Charging is? The popular feature allows charging your device in a fraction of the time compared to an ordinary charger.

How does it work? Amperage and voltage are used to measure the output of a charge. Amperage (also knows as current) is the amount of electricity flowing from a battery to a connected device. Whereas voltage is the strength of the electric current. Multiplying amps by volts gives wattage - the measure of total power.

Manufacturers to make their chargers or power banks faster, either boost the amperage or the voltage . It will increase the amount of potential energy. In most of the cases, voltage is increased rather than the amperage.

Most fast chargers have a voltage of 5V, 9V, or even 12V. The amperage is at level 3A or even above.

The output of a charge is one thing; a charged device might have its limitation. Therefore, even the fastest charger might not reach its highest potential speed if a device’s charging circuit doesn’t have the fast charging standard. Most mobile phone producers point this feature in a description.

Once you understand what Fast Charging is, let’s get into the most popular fast charging technologies.

If you want to find out more about Fast Charging, read our another article (Fast Charging Explained. And Why You Should Not Always Use It.) which explains it in details.

What is Anker Power IQ?

It is branded Anker’s Fast Charging Technology. The main feature is an instant identification of a device. As I mentioned before, each device can accept specific energy. Anker Power IQ can quickly identify a charged device’s maximum capacity without installing any additional software. Therefore, it allows charging the device at the maximum speed.

For example, the iPhone 6 comes with a charger of 1.0 amp. However, the charging circuit of a phone can use 1.6 amps. Purchasing and using a more powerful adapter, especially with Anker Power IQ, will charge iPhone 6 at its maximum speed of 1.6 amps.

Power IQ is a great technology, very convenient and already standard for most, if not all, Anker’s chargers and power banks.

Different Versions of PowerIQ

Over the years, Anker has been developing and improving its technology.

PowerIQ 1.0 - the first release of PowerIQ in 2014. The maximum output is 12W, which in today’s standard, is a universal charger. It allows charging Samsung S8 within 2 hours.

PowerIQ 2.0 - released in 2017, with a maximum output of 24W - doubled to the previous version. It can charge Samsung S8 within an hour.

PowerIQ 3.0 - released in 2019, with a staggering maximum output of 100W! For comparison, it’s 20 times more powerful than the standard wall charger of 5V/1A. Chargers with this technology are widely used in smartwatches, mobile phones, tablets, and even laptops. This charger could be the only charger you need - an excellent solution for minimalists and eco-enthusiasts. It can charge Samsung S8 within an hour.

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What is Qualcomm Quick Charge?

Along with AnkerIQ, the most popular Fast Charging Technology available. Qualcomm is an American corporation headquartered in San Diego, California. It is well known for its Snapdragon processors, widely used in Android Smartphones. They have a finger in every pie in the technology world.

The first release of Qualcomm Quick Charge was in 2013. It provides a 5V/2A output charging speed. Nowadays, it is a standard charging for most wall chargers and power banks, but it was game-changing back in 2013.

Qualcomm Quick Charge and Its Dominance in the Market

Since Qualcomm has an influence widely in the technology world, it helped them take a big piece of the cake in the charging sector. Their Snapdragon Processors are the most used in Android Smartphones. The compatibility of fast charging technology and processors was vital.

Most modern smartphones can be charged on a maximum of 18W of power. The newest Qualcomm Quick Charge can supply up to 100W. These numbers speak for themselves. It can quickly provide the highest charging speed, not only for smartphones but also for most laptops with USB type C charging.

Speaking of USB, Qualcomm Quick Charge is compatible with various ports: USB type A, USB type C, micro USB, and iPhone Lightning.

Qualcomm Quick Charge can be found in wall chargers, smartphones, car chargers, and power banks. In the last one, it frequently supports output and input fast charging , so not only you can charge your electronic device quickly, but also a power bank itself can be charged fast.

Different Versions of Qualcomm Quick Charge

Over the years, since the first release, the technology has been changing. Along with charging technology, smartphone batteries improved, mostly their capacity; therefore, these two are strongly connected.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 1.0 - The first release, in 2013. It supplies 5 Volts and 2 Amps, which gives 10 Watts of power. Not much in today’s standard, but in 2013 it was the highest possible speed. It could charge a phone up to 50% within an hour on average.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 - the successor of 1.0 version, released a year later. The main difference is the maximum current of 3A. There are two classes: A and B. Class A has a maximum voltage of 12V; Class B supplies up to 20V. It is already a big step to compare with the previous version. The compatibility with a wide selection of Snapdragon Processors to compare with the earlier version was a significant improvement.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 - released in 2016. The new solution is implementing Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage (INOV). Voltage ranging from 3.6V to 20V allows transferring optimum power throughout time. Still, the most commonly used Qualcomm Fast Charging Technology in many smartphones.

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Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 - released in 2017. Other improvements: 30% more efficient and 20% faster than Quick Charge 3.0. It also keeps the temperature 5°C cooler. It provides USB-C and USB-PD. 27 Watts allows charging many smartphones within 15 minutes.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0 - announced in July 2020. Producers claim that it can charge a mobile phone with a battery capacity of 4500mAh in 5 minutes! Everything can be done with all safety measures and keeping the phone cool. The new technology “Dual Charge” allows communication with the charger while charging double cells and double the voltage and amperage out.

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Different Fast Charging Technologies

Anker Power IQ and Quick Charge are not the only fast charging technologies available on the market.

Apple Fast Charging via USB-PD

The branded iPhone Fast Charging technology. Compatible with: The Apple iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus.

Unfortunately, until recently, Apple didn’t provide a fast charging adapter and USB-C cable , so if you want to take advantage of this technology, you have fork over extra bucks.

Google Fast Charging via USB-PD

Every Google Pixel phone is cable to fast-charging up to 18W. Google provides all the needed cable and charger with a purchased phone.

Samsung Super Fast Charging and Adaptive Fast Charging

The branded Samsung Fast-Charging technology, built-in in all its phones.

Motorola TurboPower

The branded Motorola Fast-Charging technology. All modern Motorola’s phones are compatible. Depending on the model, one of the TurboPower adapters is provided with a purchased phone.

OnePlus Dash and Warp Charge and Oppo VOOC

Fast-Charging technology is mainly used in OnePlus phones. It’s considered as one of the fastest charging standards. Adapters are included with compatible smartphones. It’s only compatible with OnePlus phones.

Huawei SuperCharge

The branded Huawei Fast-Charging technology. Compatible with all Huawei’s phones. Adapters are provided with a phone.

To Sum Up

The fast-charging technologies have gone a long way. From the initial 5V/2A (10W), which was considered a fast charging speed at that time - now a standard for most adapters - to a high-speed charger providing up to 100W. With such a high power supply and development of USB-PD and USB-C technologies, the future is bright and FAST! Having only one and powerful adapter to charge all your electronic devices could not only be a convenient solution but environmentally friendly.