Users' initial reaction to such quick charging technologies is that they will almost certainly reduce battery life. They also believe there will be safety concerns, or a combination of the two. In response, The Verge spoke with Xiaomi's global spokesperson and head of international communications, Daniel Desjarlais, about the company's work in fast charging technology and what users outside of China might anticipate from the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro.
How 120W Fast Charging Works?
To begin with, how does it work? “It's like having two separate gas tanks and two different gas inlets in your car.” As a result, it works in the same way as other high-capacity quick charging systems. “Rather than filling one side at a time, you can now fill both sides at once. The charger produces 120 watts, and instead of pushing the maximum of five volts, a single channel divides it into two, three, and four channels. Everything is now done at a current of 20 amperes, allowing us to increase everything.”
In terms of battery life, Daniel claims that it will be nearly identical to that of other more typical mobile phone batteries. He stated, "This is something that we've put through a lot of testing." “In general, for this degree of charging with the batteries that we've tested it with, you'll still have 80% battery health after 800 charging cycles. Now, that 20% might sound like "wow, I'm losing 20%," but it's very common across the board when it comes to charging technology. Most people will take about two years to complete 800 cycles. So that's a good start.”
Apple states that the lithium-ion battery in the iPhone "can maintain 80% of its original capacity during 500 complete charging cycles." If Xiaomi's test data is correct, the battery life should be comparable to normal usage.
“There are pretty minute variations between the two,” Daniel replied when asked if utilising a slower charger would boost battery health even further. Of course, in the ideal circumstance, you should utilise the slower charger for overnight charging and the faster charger for more urgent situations.”
Safety
In terms of safety concerns, Daniel stated that a variety of tests were conducted, including those conducted by external parties. In addition, the smartphone has 34 distinct battery protection modes. “This is, in general, one of the reasons why this technology is being released today for worldwide markets. We wanted to make sure that not only did we follow all of the rules, but that it was also really safe for everyone.”
Is there, however, any benefit to such a pricing system? Can mobile phones that use more traditional charging methods, for example, be slimmer or have larger batteries? There are no side effects, according to Daniel. The actual charger, on the other hand, is larger than typical.
Xiaomi is confident in the future of its rapid charging technology, and feels there is more room for progress. The business, for example, exhibited a 200W fast charging prototype system earlier this year. It took 8 minutes to charge a 4000mAh battery. “Whether or whether this comes [in a commercial product] is something you'll have to wait and see on,” Daniel simply responded.
The Verge also wondered if users in Xiaomi's worldwide market would see it as a major selling factor. “I believe the key goal here for us is there are a lot of people out there who consider rapid charging to be a superfluous feature,” Daniel added. However, there are many persons for whom this is a significant benefit. It's one of those things you don't understand how useful it is until you have to dash out the door in five minutes to catch a cab and your phone isn't fully charged.”
