Realme handicaps the charging speed of the Realme X2

[Redaktion]

30 W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 is one of Realme's main selling points for the Realme X2, with the company boasting that the device can reach 65% charge in just 30 minutes. However, that may longer not be the case following a new update.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Realme-handicaps-the-charging-speed-of-the-Realme-X2.454290.0.html

[_MT_]

I don't really get these chargers. I understand that it's convenient to be able to top up a phone in a jiffy, especially if it won't last the day. However, such chargers are hard on the cell ("battery"). Even with a 5 Ah cell, which some phones have, 30 W is well in excess of 1 C charging rate. That's not good. Not to mention that the more you hammer a cell in the constant current phase of charging, the sooner you hit voltage limit and charging is going to slow down. Cells are annoying in that way. That's why they never quote time to 100 % charge in their advertising. It's still pretty long. And there is really nothing you can do about it other than reducing nominal capacity. Meaning, it works well when you want to top up from a low state of charge, but not that well when your phone already has a decent charge and you want to top up before going away for a longer period.

If you're a desk rat like me, slow wireless charging is better. Well, it would be better if you could set up a charging limit. Let's say 80 %. Because Li-ion cells don't like being kept too charged. When you sleep for 7 hours and spend 8 hours at the office, a phone can spend most of the day on a charger. Having 80 % when leaving office is pretty good. Even better would be simple pin and pad. Having pads on the bottom of the phone and a charging station with pins in it into which you can just drop the phone. Like my first phone back in the late 90s, Siemens SL10 I believe. Unlike wireless charging, it's not universal (nothing is stopping development of a standard), but it's more efficient (less heat, less waste). It keeps the desk tidy, the phone is standing up so you can see the display. I never understood why such charging stations never became the standard. It was a wonderful thing.

[Astar]

Don't try to dispense ridiculous advice. Wireless charging is the worst thing you can do for the phone and its battery.

The charging pad your phone rests on top of gets warm during wireless charging. The charging coil in your phone that converts induction field to electricity gets warm too, and all that heat only goes to warm up the phone's circuit board and battery which - guess what, already produces heat from the inefficiencies of the charging process!

Plus, anybody who understands the basics of wireless induction will know that eddy currents are inevitably induced in anything with metal in it (like the wires in a phone's circuit board), producing even more waste heat.

And heat is the enemy of all silicon electronics, not to mention li-ion batteries, whether in terms of efficiency of operations or longevity.

Wired charging from a slow (read low ampere output) charger is always the best option - for most people since they are connected to their laptop/PC for long work hours in the office or home.

But the real key is implementing  what is called "Prioritize Battery Idle" - which manufacturers don't seem to want to provide because they WANT you to degrade your battery so that you will replace your phone after a year or at least have to visit your nearest service centre.

Fortunately the Android development community saw this and through rooting, provided this "Prioritize Battery Idle" functionality. So long as your Android phone has a proper Linux kernel with the requisite charging circuit functions (eg. the progressive good brands... hint hint), or you flash the correct ROMs (eg. AOSP) with said kernel, you can use root apps like ACC (Advanced Charging Controller) to STOP BOTH charging/discharging of the battery when it reaches a predetermined level (70% in my case). After that the power input is directed only to the phone and the phone functions COMPLETELY off power from the USB input.

People who think that "I disconnect my phone once it hits 100%" are also mistaken. It only means that you are then discharging the battery (running the phone off battery), which requires charging eventually, which means your phone uses up precious limited charge/discharge cycles. Plus, constant connecting & disconnecting wears out the charging cables and ports.

My phone is connected to USB power all the time for 8, 12, 16 hours at a time when I'm at home or the office, running without taxing the battery at all. That is the key.