"This latest generation brings a number of improvements, but perhaps the most remarkable change is that Quick Charge 4 is now compatible with the USB Type-C and USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) specifications set by the USB-IF standards body. "
Excellent news, and good for Qualcomm that they are working to reduce the nonsense around charging standards rather than doubling down on their proprietary charging scheme.
OnePlus has Dash which is radically different and even more proprietary, and some of the other Asian OEM have their own proprietary thing, none quite as widespread as QC obvs.
Hopefully aftermarket accessory makers step their game up now, beyond the QC/PD incompatibility, the glut of aftermarket crap that's downright dangerous has been the other major roadblock to wider adoption of PD.
Five? Not sure about that. Unless you're counting rebranded stuff as different and competing. Like VOOC vs. Dash or Quick Charge vs. "Adaptive Fast Charging" vs. BoostMaster and so on. I can count three different competing fast charging methods off the top of my head. USB-PD Quick Charge VOOC / Dash
And off these three two are just shoving a fuckton of angry pixies down the cable and losing a lot of power as heat doing that. And making it even more necessary to use a really high quality cable with thick conductors if you want it to be as efficient and of course as fast as possible.
My phone supports QC3 via a charger but is QC charging at full speed over a USB Type-C ports with Type-C to Type-C cable. I don't understand this proprietary thing?
If it's running QC3 over USB-C, then it's out of USB spec and using Qualcomm's proprietary charging method. Manufacturers are using the USB-C cables and connectors to do things it's not intended for.
Well the charger is an HTC with the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3 logo. My motherboard has a single external Intel USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port. All of the super-charge crap is off on my system. It charges at the Quick Charge speed. So I guess computers are or will be universal still.
Oh, I gotcha. There are valid ways to charge rapidly with USB-C, namely USB-PD. I imagine Intel is using that standard, they're usually pretty good about standard adherence.
Can we get slower charging instead? I'm sleeping 8 hours/day, I'm fine with my phone taking 8 hours to charge, and it's far safer and healthier to battery than rapid forced charging. This is especially important with most phones having non-removable batteries now.
Both of you get a plus from me. I also don't need fast charging tech and as a result I charge my phone all the time to USB 2.0 port of any PC at work and at home.
For travel I have a battery bank or the laptop again.
I don't think people want to carry around two chargers to plug in. Please remember that the maximum charge current is proportional to cell mAH capacity, internal resistance and the ability to keep cool. The quick charge methods focus on increasing the charge rate while the temperature and internal resistance is lower and then reverting to standard charging for the last 20% of mAH.
Wouldn't USB-PD on Type-C connectors make "Qualcomm Quick Charge" mostly irrelevant now? The big point of QC was that it can run higher than 5V over a USB connector, to allow higher Wattage power transfer at the same Amp rating. That's one of the core facets of USB-PD, too.
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28 Comments
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edzieba - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
"This latest generation brings a number of improvements, but perhaps the most remarkable change is that Quick Charge 4 is now compatible with the USB Type-C and USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) specifications set by the USB-IF standards body. "Excellent news, and good for Qualcomm that they are working to reduce the nonsense around charging standards rather than doubling down on their proprietary charging scheme.
A5 - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
QC4 is still the voltage-adjustment method. It just isn't mutually exclusive with USB-PD now.witeken - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
The only noteworthy news here is the support for USB-PD. There are at least 5 competing fast charging technologies I'm aware of.lmcd - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
Wasn't aware that there are 5 actually-used competitors.Seriously, what? The Qualcomm near-monopoly has been well documented.
Impulses - Friday, November 18, 2016 - link
OnePlus has Dash which is radically different and even more proprietary, and some of the other Asian OEM have their own proprietary thing, none quite as widespread as QC obvs.Hopefully aftermarket accessory makers step their game up now, beyond the QC/PD incompatibility, the glut of aftermarket crap that's downright dangerous has been the other major roadblock to wider adoption of PD.
lagittaja - Friday, November 18, 2016 - link
Five? Not sure about that. Unless you're counting rebranded stuff as different and competing. Like VOOC vs. Dash or Quick Charge vs. "Adaptive Fast Charging" vs. BoostMaster and so on.I can count three different competing fast charging methods off the top of my head.
USB-PD
Quick Charge
VOOC / Dash
And off these three two are just shoving a fuckton of angry pixies down the cable and losing a lot of power as heat doing that. And making it even more necessary to use a really high quality cable with thick conductors if you want it to be as efficient and of course as fast as possible.
mmrezaie - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
To be sure, now this one works on standard usb-chargers that support usb-pd?SetiroN - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
This is the important thing. We need universal chargers, not just certification.A5 - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
No, you'll still need proprietary chargers for QC4 support, it just means that you won't fail USB-IF certification by enabling QC.mmrezaie - Saturday, November 19, 2016 - link
Thanks, that's is not good enough then!HomeworldFound - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
My phone supports QC3 via a charger but is QC charging at full speed over a USB Type-C ports with Type-C to Type-C cable. I don't understand this proprietary thing?Mr Perfect - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
If it's running QC3 over USB-C, then it's out of USB spec and using Qualcomm's proprietary charging method. Manufacturers are using the USB-C cables and connectors to do things it's not intended for.HomeworldFound - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
Well the charger is an HTC with the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3 logo. My motherboard has a single external Intel USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port. All of the super-charge crap is off on my system. It charges at the Quick Charge speed. So I guess computers are or will be universal still.Mr Perfect - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
Oh, I gotcha. There are valid ways to charge rapidly with USB-C, namely USB-PD. I imagine Intel is using that standard, they're usually pretty good about standard adherence.ZeDestructor - Saturday, November 19, 2016 - link
HTC 10? If yes, USB-PD charging is limited to 10W, while the QC3 charger ramps up to 13+W.Source: http://gtrusted.com/review/htc-10-supports-limited...
VivianLiu - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
Yes, and I think 2.0 is enough, you can check: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J5BO0RSVatharian - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
Can we get slower charging instead? I'm sleeping 8 hours/day, I'm fine with my phone taking 8 hours to charge, and it's far safer and healthier to battery than rapid forced charging. This is especially important with most phones having non-removable batteries now.DanNeely - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
It's called plugging your phone into a basic USB2 port on your computer or an old cheap 2.5W charger.zodiacfml - Friday, November 18, 2016 - link
Both of you get a plus from me. I also don't need fast charging tech and as a result I charge my phone all the time to USB 2.0 port of any PC at work and at home.For travel I have a battery bank or the laptop again.
Space Jam - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
You can disable fast charging in most devices afaik. Or just not use a fast charger.pokemanengineer - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
Just use a charger that has lower current output. Can charge as slow as you want.prateekprakash - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
Is it possible to make a phone with dual smaller batteries that can be charged with dual charging ports?That would reduce the time required to charge a single battery with higher capacity which consume higher current in my opinion...
HomeworldFound - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
Double the amount of battery connectors and more ports? I don't think they'll want that.Mavendependency - Thursday, November 17, 2016 - link
It's a configuration that has worked well, try looking up laptop batteries.tygrus - Saturday, April 15, 2017 - link
I don't think people want to carry around two chargers to plug in. Please remember that the maximum charge current is proportional to cell mAH capacity, internal resistance and the ability to keep cool. The quick charge methods focus on increasing the charge rate while the temperature and internal resistance is lower and then reverting to standard charging for the last 20% of mAH.CharonPDX - Friday, November 18, 2016 - link
Wouldn't USB-PD on Type-C connectors make "Qualcomm Quick Charge" mostly irrelevant now? The big point of QC was that it can run higher than 5V over a USB connector, to allow higher Wattage power transfer at the same Amp rating. That's one of the core facets of USB-PD, too.Impulses - Friday, November 18, 2016 - link
Sure, that wouldn't be good for Qualcomm's licensing business bottom line tho... :p At least they're not flying in the face of the spec anymore.VivianLiu - Friday, December 2, 2016 - link
I like this one(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J5BO0RS), it is great for me.