Introducing Quick Charge 3.0: next-generation fast charging technology

Phone charging is arguably the peskiest daily task, but Qualcomm Technologies is constantly innovating to bring phones and tablets a superior charging experience. We started with Qualcomm Quick Charge 1.0, which introduced our first fast charging solution, able to charge up to 40% faster than conventional charging. Quick Charge 2.0 followed a year later, increasing the charge time advantage up to 75%, as well as introducing an array of compatible accessories including wall adapters, car adapters, and power banks.

Today Qualcomm Technologies continues to push the boundaries with Quick Charge 3.0, our fastest, most efficient charging technology to date.

Quick Charge 3.0 is engineered to refuel devices up to four times faster than conventional charging. It is designed to charge twice as fast as Quick Charge 1.0 and to be 38 percent more efficient than Quick Charge 2.0. Now consumers can spend even less time charging, and can grab and go more quickly.

How does it work? Quick Charge 3.0 employs Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage (INOV), an algorithm which allows your portable device to determine what power level to request at any point in time, enabling optimum power transfer while maximizing efficiency. It also supports wider voltage options, allowing a mobile device to dynamically adjust to the ideal voltage level supported by that specific device. Specifically, Quick Charge 3.0 offers a more granular range of voltages: 200mV increments, from 3.6V to 20V. That way your phone can target one of dozens of power levels.

The technology has the same easy-to-implement design for OEMs as previous versions. It’s 100 percent backward-compatible with Quick Charge 1.0 and Quick Charge 2.0 devices, and it supports a broad range of connectors: Quick Charge 3.0 can be implemented with USB Type-A, USB micro, USB Type-C, or proprietary connectors. Quick Charge 2.0 is supported by a far-reaching assortment of certified accessories, including wall chargers, car chargers, battery packs, and power controllers; next-generation chargers will support Quick Charge 3.0.

Quick Charge 3.0 will be available in some of our newest Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, including the Snapdragon 820, 620, 618, 617, and 430 (two of the processors we announced this week), so you can expect to see it in next year’s round of smartphones and tablets. 

^{Qualcomm Quick Charge and Qualcomm Snapdragon are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.}