Just a mere six months after announcing Quick Charge 4, which boosted charging times and safety considerably over its predecessors, Qualcomm is introducing the new Quick Charge 4+ standard.
Unlike previous standards, which required a new chipset, 4+ is something device and accessory manufacturers can implement by adding three enhancements to Quick Charge 4-compliant devices:
- “Dual Charge,” which is already an option in earlier version of Quick Charge, but is “now more powerful”
- “Intelligent Thermal Balancing,” which steers current through whichever of the dual charging pathways is coolest to keep temperatures down
- “Advanced Safety Features” to monitor both the phone temperature and the connector temperature to protect against overheating and short-circuit
Qualcomm claims devices that implement this standard can get charging times up to 15 percent faster than Quick Charge 4, and will charge up to 30 percent more efficiently — an especially nice perk if you’re charging from a battery pack. Charging will also be up to 3 degrees Celsius (about 5 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler.
