Qualcomm Certified Chargers: Are They Worth It?

If you are in the market looking for a new charger to buy, then you may come across chargers that have “Qualcomm Quick Charge” or “Qualcomm Certified” written on them. There is a lot of commotion that surrounds them, and some manufacturers are even going to the extent of charging a premium for these chargers. However, not a lot of people trudge onto wonder what exactly does this certification mean, and are these chargers even worth the price?

Well, this is a sword that can cut both ways, and in this article, we are going to explore what this means and whether these chargers are worth the price or not.

What is Quick Charge Certification?

Suppose that you have just bought a phone that has Qualcomm Quick Charge stamped on the back or on the box and you are wondering what that means, you should know that this is a proprietary technology that Qualcomm has developed and it helps the phones charge faster than they normally would. This is done by providing higher voltage or amperes to the devices, and it also requires some tweaking in the phone’s kernel. The result is faster-charging speeds.

Ever since the announcement of Quick Charge, many companies like Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus, and even Apple have come up with their own proprietary charging technologies. Making the seemingly universal technology, not so universal.

If your device has the Quick Charge, it simply means that it will charge faster than normal when you use the power adapter that comes in the box. If you are now wondering why the Qualcomm Quick Charge certified chargers are being sold in the market by companies like Anker, Aukey, Tronsmart, and a few others, then you are on the right track.

You see, when it comes to Quick Charge, it will only work when you are pairing it with the charger that you have received out of the box. If you use a different charger, your phone will charge, but with slower speeds. Which means that if you do end up losing your charger, you will end up losing the Quick Charge feature too. Thankfully, you can buy a Qualcomm Quick Charge adapter and start charging your phone again without having to worry about anything.

Is There Any Backwards Compatibility?

This leads us to another important question. Is there any backward compatibility? Well, you can pretty much use any Qualcomm Quick Charge charger or any pho0ne that support Qualcomm’s Quick Charging and it will charge just fine.

However, when it comes to those with proprietary quick charge technologies, the story is a bit different. For instance, Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging is based off Qualcomm Quick Charge, however, when paired with the same spec adapter, it simply does not work, and instead, charge at the normal speed.

This basically means that if you pair a Qualcomm Quick Charger with any device that does not officially support Qualcomm’s Quick Charging, you will not be able to gain the faster speeds. However, the good thing is that your device will not be at any risk.

What is the Fastest Charging Technology Available in the Market

Currently, the fastest charging that is available in the market is by Huawei and OnePlus. Huawei offers their fast battery charging at 40 watts, which means that it can the P30 Pro up to 70 percent in 30 minutes.

On the other hand, you have OnePlus’ Warp Charging that delivers 30W charging, which gives around 50 percent in 20 minutes.

Are There Any Dangers to Fast Charging?

This is a very valid concern because when it comes to fast charging, you are sending more electricity to your phones as compared to the standard charging. Is there really a concern? Well, with the technology getting better and better, the simplest answer is no.

Sure, your phone will get hot when it is fast charging but it will not be extremely hot. However, the one thing that you must keep in mind is that for the sake of your phone’s battery longevity, you should avoid using your phone when it is on a charge. It is just better for the battery in general.

So, Are Qualcomm Certified Chargers Worth It?

Now the important question. Are these chargers worth it? Well, simply put, if you have a phone that supports Qualcomm Quick Charge, and you have lost the charger that comes in the box, you should definitely go with a Qualcomm Certified charger so you can charge your phone at the fastest possible speed without running into any issues. The chargers are definitely worth it for the devices that support this charging.