Plus 110W of wireless charging for good measure. Introduction
Watts are the new megapixels – the numbers race is going at full speed in the field of.
Introduction
Watts are the new megapixels – the numbers race is going at full speed in the field of fast charging on smartphones. While some choose not to partake (Apple and Samsung, but also Google and Sony), others are pumping out power figures unthinkable until recently. We only just got to experience Realme’s 240W solution on the GT3 and you can read about our findings in that phone’s full review.
But 240W is no longer the most watts someone is dumping on a phone’s battery – and no, we don’t mean Redmi’s 300W lab test from a while back.
We now have Infinix’s All-Round Fast Charge that has 260W stamped on the box, and it’s a box that’s with us in the office. And they also have a wireless one rated at 110W, possibly even more impressive in its own context. We got to clock both and have some pretty wild numbers to report on.
There’s a small caveat to mention before we proceed though. While Realme’s 240W charging is to be found in a production device and the Redmi is seemingly on a test bench somewhere, the Infinix solution is somewhere inbetween. The company is apparently confident enough in its tech that it doesn’t mind sending it out to reviewers, but it’s not a commercial-grade product you can find in a store, yet. Infinix promises we’ll get an actual commercial ready product this year though, so not much waiting left to do.
The phone that is the vehicle to showcase the All-Round Fast Charge is a modified version of the Infinix Zero Ultra. The changes include a slightly smaller battery capacity (4,400mAh vs. 4,500mAh on the standard phone) 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 speed claiming 180W speed and 12 minutes time from empty to full.
Unboxing
The Demo Infinix Fast charging phone arrived in a specially designed box with the flashy numbers stamped on the lid. The included 260W adapter is quite chunky, as is the wireless charging pad – if you can even call it a pad. A single USB-C cable is included and that one is used for eitehr directly charging the phone from the adapter or delivering power from the adapter to the induction charger.
Technology
Infinix’s documentation mentions they’re using a 12C battery – that is to say it can theoretically be charged in 5 minutes (60 minutes divided by the C rating). It’s also saying they’re using a 4 pump system, as opposed to the 2 pump we’ve seen in earlier fast-charging designs.
