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USB Power Delivery (PD) and Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC) are both technologies which improve device charging speeds by increasing the power sent to the device, generally by increasing the voltage and/or amperage. They also include safety measures to ensure you don't hurt your device, battery, charger or charging cable.
Qualcomm's QC 1.0 was introduced in 2013 with 10 watt charging, increasing to QC 3.0 in 2016 with up to 36 watt charging. It was quite popular in the Android smartphone market for some time, and while QC 5.0 is now available with 100W charging, its market share has been diminished somewhat by USB's Power Delivery boasting expanded capabilities and the adoption of USB Type-C for iOS.
USB-IF's Power Delivery protocol also offers faster charging at higher volts and amps, but has additional (optional) capabilities such as turning a laptop or smartphone into a power source for charging smaller devices. PD 1.0 was finalised in 2012 and features set voltage profiles all the way up to 100 watts. PD 2.0 and 3.0 introduced variable amperage profiles, and PD 3.1 allows for a whopping 240 watts of power. Very versatile.
These days, it is easier to recommend a PD compatible charger over a QC charger, simply because it will have wider compatibility with all types of devices, where QC-only chargers will only offer full charging speeds to devices that run a compatible Qualcomm SoC (System on a Chip). Some chargers will claim support for both fast-charging technologies, which is nice, but may come at an unnecessary price premium.
Gallium nitride (GaN) is the new kid on the block when it comes to charger technology. Although GaN materials have been around for a while now (most notably in early LEDs), its adoption in household USB chargers has come about due to a convergence in lower costs and a sharp rise in the need for more capable chargers. Not that long ago, no devices needed 100 watts charging, but now there are plenty (and more every day).
The main difference between a GaN-based charger and a silicone-based charger comes down to power efficiency. GaN chargers waste less power to heat when converting AC power to DC. Lower heat production also improves device safety and helps with making devices smaller. While it comes at a price premium, GaN chargers offer a considerable benefit, especially if you a have a power-hungry laptop or a busy household full of devices that always seem to be on-charge. A GaN charger will run cooler for longer.
A Watt is simply the Voltage multiplied by the Amperage. 5 Volts @ 3 Amps = 5*3 = 15 Watts.
Watts are a handy number because it is easier to express the total amount of power a device can provide or accept, and it eliminates the need for a long list of volts/amps pairings a charger might be capable of (for example 9V/4A and 12V/3A are both 36 Watts).
Your charger needs enough wattage to cover all of the devices you intend to charge with it (at the same time). If you choose a charger that offers a great deal more wattage than you'll be able to use, you're either throwing money away or looking to upgrade to more powerful devices in the future. If you go under your wattage requirement, your devices will charge slower if they're all connected at once. Some devices won't charge at all if they aren't able to draw sufficient amounts of power, so be sure you check your device specs.
Your total wattage requirement can be lower if you simply charge fewer devices at once, but having more watts than you need can mean the charger won't have to work as hard all the time, which also has benefits in efficiency and lifespan.
If you want to charge every device at full speed at the same time, the perfect charger will have:
If you want to save money and get a more modest charger that can charge just one or two devices at a time, it should have:
This blog was put together in September of 2024 and may not feature up-to-date product listings for all of our chargers. However, the information here is still informative in showing how we determine the recommended use cases for these types of chargers.
Let's look at a simple case-study scenario starting with a set of high-draw devices that need to be charged all together:
Jane has a pair of new Android smartphones that charge at up to 24 Watts each, and big laptop that eats 100 Watts. These three devices require a total of 148 Watts to charge at top speed together. Jane will need a USB charger with at least one 100W (or better) USB-C output and at least a pair of 24W outputs (probably also USB-C).
Jane isn't likely to find a 148 Watt charger, so she's better of looking for a charger that offers more Watts. A 160 or 180 Watt charger would be a good start. Jane could also consider separating her laptop onto its own dedicated 100W charger. Laptops tend not to charge at all if they are supplied less than they need, so dedicating a charger to a hungry laptop is usually a good idea and could even be more cost effective. Jane could then get a 65W charger for her two phones.
Let's look at another case-study, this time starting with one of our USB chargers.
At the time of writing, we carry a dual-port charger with one USB Type-C socket and one USB Type-A socket. The USB Type-C offers up to 100W, and the Type-A socket can provide up to 18W. However, the total available output is just 100W, not 118W. If you charge a smartphone at 18W, the total leftover wattage available for a laptop would be around 82 watts. Power is shared in a more dynamic way than this, so both devices would charge a little slower if plugged in together.
However, this charger is actually kind of perfect if you have a 60W laptop and a 18W smartphone, which are pretty common numbers these days. If you have a 24W smartphone, you could still enjoy very quick charging at 18W, just not the absolute fastest possible.
As you can see, choosing the right charger is about balancing your patience for charging times against the abilities (and cost) of a super-powered top-of-the-line charging station. The trick is to check that each of the sockets output enough Watts for your device(s), and that the total wattage available covers all the devices you'll be charging simultaneously.
You can check the charging spec of almost any smartphone easily via the GSMArena database. For laptops and other devices, you may need to consult the manufacturer website, user manual, or a retailer/review website (or look at your existing charger for its specs). Good manufacturers aren't shy about charging speeds as they are now just as important a specification as screen resolution or memory size. If you have trouble finding the numbers, it is probably on the low end (10W or less).
Finding the perfect charger can be tough, especially when you have a lot of different devices and specific charging performance requirements. If you need tailored help finding a solution, please Contact us and we'll figure it out together.
