iPhone 6 vs Android for Quick Charging

[Woodcrest64]

Just wondering if the iPhone 6 can charge up to 50% in the same time or less compared to android phones like the Galaxy S6, M9 and Moto X with quick charge. I know the iPhone 6 can charge in much less time with the iPad charger but just wondering for that initial 0-50% if its the same as Android.

 

[willmtaylor]

Just wondering if the iPhone 6 can charge up to 50% in the same time or less compared to android phones like the Galaxy S6, M9 and Moto X with quick charge. I know the iPhone 6 can charge in much less time with the iPad charger but just wondering for that initial 0-50% if its the same as Android.

In my experience, my iPhone 6 can charge from 5/10%-100% in ~90 minutes and 5/10%-50% in ~45 minutes. Not "quick-charge" like the competitors mentioned above but not exactly an eternity either.

 

[willmtaylor]

This might be the info you're looking for: http://www.gsmarena.com/charge_test-review-1239p4.php

 

[cynics]

Pretty impressive the S6 can charge a battery that size that much faster.

I wonder what Apples next move will be in concerns of battery tech. With some sort of quick charge technology the iPhone could charge from 0-100% in 30 minutes, that would be nice.

 

[willmtaylor]

While numbers are numbers, GSM arena isn't exactly known for being unbiased. I do wonder if they accounted for battery conversation software that shuts down certain features, automatically dims screen, etc. on the Android (Samsung) phones. I'd be interested to see whether the results would be the same from another source.

Like you said though: if true, impressive numbers. I hope Apple is paying attention.

 

[zhenya]

Apple doesn't really need to do much of anything different to increase the charging speed of their phones - the Lightning protocol can already handle it just fine - as opposed to micro-usb which required these alternative 'quick-charge' solutions. And even though the iPad-level chargers won't put more charge into the 6's battery any faster, they will allow full current into the battery while using the additional power for the device components, which has the effect of a quicker charge if the device is in use while charging. They are also way below what we know to be safe charging levels, so all they need to do is package a more powerful charger and allow the battery to accept it a bit faster and they'll be at parity. The question is whether the market as a whole really cares.

 

[bhayes444]

While numbers are numbers, GSM arena isn't exactly known for being unbiased. I do wonder if they accounted for battery conversation software that shuts down certain features, automatically dims screen, etc. on the Android (Samsung) phones. I'd be interested to see whether the results would be the same from another source.

Like you said though: if true, impressive numbers. I hope Apple is paying attention.

I don't know about the Samsung devices, but I would imagine the conservation software isn't taken into account as it's built into the phones software to ensure it last longer until it gets plugged in/is at a certain charge limit. On my Moto X I have the battery saver set to 5%, the other option is 15%, and when I plug the phone in (even with 1% left) the battery saver is disabled. The Moto X also takes just about 30 minutes to go from 10-15% back up to 50%, maybe even faster. I just know that if my phone is dying when I get home, that if I plug it in, even for just 10 minutes, I have another 15% charge easy (if it started below 10%).

Quick charge is nice, but if I wanted the feature on the iPhone I'd just use the iPad charger, as it's close enough. Although, it's rumored that the new Moto X charges even faster than current devices. One issues is that the device gets extremely warm, as it's pushing more power into the phone at higher rates. I think Apple takes that I to consideration seeing as how a metal clad phone could be quite uncomfortable at certain temperature thresholds.

 

[Girder_Shade]

Will Apple add quick charge capability to the 6s?

 

[ABC5S]

Will Apple add quick charge capability to the 6s?

Wrong people to ask. Only Apple knows

 

[adamhenry]

Quick charging can be detrimental to battery capacity and life expectancy.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/ultra_fast_chargers

 

[willmtaylor]

Quick charging can be detrimental to battery capacity and life expectancy.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/ultra_fast_chargers

That's ok with Samsung devices though b/c their batteries are removab--uh oh....

 

[silverblack]

That's ok with Samsung devices though b/c their batteries are removab--uh oh....

Don't think the current version has removable battery.... Never mind, just got your "uh oh".

 

[C DM]

Quick charging can be detrimental to battery capacity and life expectancy.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/ultra_fast_chargers

Unless perhaps the battery is specifically designed to charge faster?

 

[spacemnspiff]

Unless perhaps the battery is specifically designed to charge faster?

I haven't seen any new Li ion battery chemistry or thermal management that allows fast charging by brute force. All the chargers are high current chargers, nothing special about that. That thermal cycling is at the detriment of the battery life.
iPhone charger is a 5W charger, using iPad 12W charger definitely speeds up iPhone charging.

Maybe there should be an experiment charging an iPhone with the same wattage that the Android fast chargers use and do a comparison of charge times. That would be apples to apples comparison. We don't know at what current does Apple limit charging current for iPhones.

 

[timeconsumer]

This might be the info you're looking for: http://www.gsmarena.com/charge_test-review-1239p4.php

Nice find, any idea what charger they used for the iPhone in that? I use the iPad charger and while I've never timed it, I feel like my phone charges pretty quickly.

 

[willmtaylor]

Nice find, any idea what charger they used for the iPhone in that? I use the iPad charger and while I've never timed it, I feel like my phone charges pretty quickly.

In the phablet tests, they did separate tests on the 6+ with iPhone charger and then with iPad charger. In my opinion, the difference wasn't negligible.

 

[geoff5093]

"QuickCharge" is a Qualcomm technology, so no that specific technology won't be in an iPhone.

 

[zhenya]

"QuickCharge" is a Qualcomm technology, so no that specific technology won't be in an iPhone.

The iPhone doesn't need it though because Lightning is already capable of charging at faster rates. Apple just needs to enable it for the iPhone.

 

[zhenya]

Quick charging can be detrimental to battery capacity and life expectancy.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/ultra_fast_chargers

However the current charging rates are well below the 2C rate that has proven to be safe in many other applications. There is probably a lot of room for Apple and other companies to increase charging speed. (IIRC, we calculated the C rate of the iPhone in another thread at one point and it was well under 1C). As it is, my new 12" MacBook charges from ~20-80% in under an hour, so they are perhaps willing to push these limits more with newer devices.

 

[david91]

I never owned an iPhone 6 but I have an Android which could be charge 100% in 2 hours but has this disappointing action which seems to me like the battery is being used every minute and takes down 1-2% for each activity.

 

[bhayes444]

In the phablet tests, they did separate tests on the 6+ with iPhone charger and then with iPad charger. In my opinion, the difference wasn't negligible.

That's pretty close to quick charge standards. I decided to actually look, and my Moto X charges from 6% to 91% in about 1:10, and usually takes 1:30 for a full charge. Seeing as how it's battery is smaller than the 6+ (2300mAh vs 2915mAh) I'd say it is probably on par as you suggest.