What is fast charging, super-fast charging, fast wireless charging and fast wireless charging 2.0?

Samsung bragged a lot about fast charging and super-fast charging for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra.

But these are not industrial standards, although there are some industrial standards behind.

So, as an owner of Galaxy S20, you may be confused with the Qualcomm quick charge (QC)  or USB power delivery.

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the meaning of fast charging, adaptive fast charge, super-fast charging, fast wireless charging, and fast wireless charging 2.0, and the link to industrial standards.

What are fast charging, adaptive fast charging, and super-fast charging on Galaxy S20?

Before you charge Galaxy S20 battery, you may need to understand some jargons used on “fast” charging.

The old USB charger usually charges up to 5W (5V, 1A). The fast USB charging usually refers to charging up to 10W (5V, 2A).

But Samsung coined “adaptive fast charging” for charging up to 15W (9V, 1.67A) since Galaxy S6. Up to Galaxy S10, the 15W adaptive fast charger had been bundled with Galaxy S and Note devices.

Adaptive fast charging supports both 10W USB fast charging, and 15W proprietary fast charging. The 15W fast charging can be activated only when the battery level is lower than about 60%.

Samsung minted “super-fast charging” when Galaxy Note and Note 10+ were announced last year. It refers to up to 25W charging for Galaxy Note 10, and up to 45W for Galaxy Note 10+.

Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ support super-fast charging up to 25W, and Galaxy S20 Ultra up to 45W, as explained in the differences among Galaxy S20 models.

Adaptive fast charging and super-fast charging were not industrial standards. Samsung minted them.

The industrial standards related to USB charging for phones have two different sets:

1. Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC). All Samsung devices, including Galaxy S20, only support QC 2.0. FYI, the latest version is QC4+. Probably due to licensing cost for Samsung's Exynos chips used in some regions, Samsung chose not to support QC 3.0 or QC4 on all their phones including those with Snapdragon chips.
2. USB Power Delivery (PD). USB PD became popular with the wide adoption of USB-C, although USB PD does not rely on USB-C. Also, there are no licencing fees involved.  Samsung does not explicitly state the support of USB PD. But Galaxy S20 did get the fast USB charger certificate from USB-IF. This means the super-fast charging on Galaxy S20 implements USB PD 3.0 in a standard way.

So, when you choose a USB charger for Galaxy S20, you need to know:

• You will not benefit from charges supporting QC 3.0 ort QC 4.
• You may get super-fast charging up to 25W with a USB charger supporting USB PD 3.0.
• You may get super-fast charging up to 45W with a USB charger supporting USB PD 3.0 and Programmable Power Supply (PPS).

Please note, 25W (or 45W) is only the theoretical limit. The actual charging speed depends on many factors including battery status, phone status and ambient temperature.

Normally, you get a fast charging speed when the battery level is low and the phone is idling.

What are fast wireless charging and fast wireless charging 2.0 on Galaxy S20?

Samsung introduced wireless charging (inductive charging) as a standard feature in Galaxy S6.  The maximum charging power is 5W.

Since Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S7, Samsung introduced fast wireless charging with a maximum charging power of 7.5W.

Fast wireless charging 2.0 was used with the announcement of Galaxy S10. It supports up to 12W (typically 10W) wireless charging.

Again, fast wireless charging and fast wireless charging 2.0 are NOT industrial standards. Samsung minted them.

There used to be a few wireless charging standards related to smartphones. But since Apple adopted Qi wireless charging standard set by Wireless Power Consortium. Power Matters Alliance died.

So, currently, the only wireless charging standard related to smartphones is Qi Wireless Charging.

Qi Wireless standard allows OEMs to develop and implement Proprietary Power Delivery Extension (PDDE) to output charging power beyond the 5W Baseline Power Profile (BPP), or 15W Extended Power Profile (EPP).

Samsung's fast wireless charging and fast wireless charging 2.0 are just a PPDE of Qi Wireless charging.

This means you can charge Galaxy S20 with any Qi wireless charging pad. But the output (charging) power will be limited to 5W unless the wireless charger supports Samsung PPDE.

Therefore, when choosing a wireless charger for Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra, you must be sure whether it supports Samsung PPDE. Otherwise, the charging will be deadly slow.

You can disable fast charging and fast wireless charging on Galaxy S20 if you really need to do so.

Recommendations on fast chargers for Galaxy S20

Although almost all USB chargers and Qi-wireless chargers work with Galaxy S20, some of them may work at the lowest standard charging rate.

If you are considering a fast charger or fast wireless charger for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, here are some rules.

Rule #1. If possible, get Samsung branded one

Samsung tends to implement some features in a non-standard way when the standard does not require it. If some of the implementations of the wall charger also deviate from conventions, the problem may arise.

So, to be safe, you should consider Samsung branded chargers first.

You may consider other brands if Samsung chargers are not available, or too expensive (some distributors may want to squeeze more money from the  “official” Samsung logo).

Rule #2. Stick to USB-C wall chargers

USB PD is normally better implemented in USB-C chargers (chargers with only USB-C Port).

Do NOT buy any USB chargers with a USB-A port. Most of them are outdated. The higher power rating will not be converted to charging power.

Rule #3. Do not over-spend on a wireless charger

10W or even 12W fast wireless charging looks enticing. But the price of such wireless chargers is usually quite expensive.

For example, the MSRP of Samsung Wireless Charger DUO Pad with fast wireless charging 2.0 is about $100 (now still costs at last $60).  But a fast wireless charger from Samsung may cost you between $20-30 only (like this one).

Also, the advantages of charging speed are only obvious when the battery level is low.  Once the battery level reaches about 70%, the difference is marginal.

Rule #4. Check whether wall charge is included in the wireless charger

Wireless charging pad needs a wall charger (or a power adapter). And this wall charger is important because the wireless charging power depends on it.

Fast wireless charger normally requires a wall charger supports QC 2.0 or higher, or Samsung's adaptive fast charging.

Fast wireless charger 2.0 normally requires an 18-25w QC 2.0 charger.

Although most vendors include an “official” wall charger for the wireless charging pad, some brands may not. You need to make sure you have the supported wall chargers (power adapters).

Rule #5. 99% of Galaxy S20 Ultra owners do not need to buy a 45W charger

In Galaxy S20 Ultra box, Samsung only includes a 25w wall charger, although it supports up to 45W super-fast charging.

But before you fork $50 (now is about $35) for a 45W charger,  you probably should know it can be unnecessary for you because:

• Compared to the 25W charger, the 45W charger is only significantly faster when the battery level is less than about 30%. After that, the charging speed is comparable.
• Overall (from 5%-100%), you can only save less than 15-20 mins from the 45W charger.
• The dimensions of the 45W charger are substantially larger.

The 45W charger is useful if you need to charge Galaxy S20 Ultra from 0%-50%.

If you buy a non-Samsung 45W or 60W charger, you need to make sure it supports not only USB PD 3.0, but also PPS.

You may check this guide on how to charge Galaxy S20 battery.

Do you have any questions on fast charging, super-fast charging, fast wireless charging and fast wireless charging 2.0 on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra?

If you have any questions on fast charging, super-fast charging, fast wireless charging and fast wireless charging 2.0 on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, please let us know in the comment box below.

The community will help you get the answer.

If you have any questions on Galaxy S20, you may check other Galaxy S20 guides:

• Galaxy S20 new features guides.
• Galaxy S20 how-to guides.
• Galaxy S20 camera guides.
• Galaxy S20 accessories guides.
• Official Galaxy S20 user manual in your local language.

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