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Gone in 15 minutes: Qualcomm claims new chargers will fill your smartmobe in a flash

Not so fast - Quick Charge 5 does its best when using new dual-battery tech

Qualcomm has unveiled the fifth generation of its Quick Charge battery-charging technology and boasts it can fully recharge a smartphone in 15 minutes.

Quick Charge 5 is up to four times faster than its predecessor, up to 70 per cent more efficient, and runs 10 degrees Celsius cooler, the company says.

Qualcomm says the new tech can charge a 4500mAh battery half-way in five minutes, or to full capacity in 15 minutes.

But to hit those times it appears that smartphones need dual batteries, so that Qualcomm's kit can pump power into both at once. New chargers also look to be required, along with various Qualcomm components under the skin of a smartphone.

The new kit will also be backwards compatible with previous iterations of Qualcomm's tech, albeit limited by the fastest speeds that those chargers can provide.

That Qualcomm bothers with such rapid-charging kit signals that smartphone power consumption continues to outpace battery technology. While news of promising battery-extending tech is seldom hard to find, lithium-ion continues to dominate. The likes of Qualcomm therefore find ways to work with existing kit rather than upend it with new tech entirely.

Qualcomm's announcement comes a week ahead of Samsung's next big product launch, at which the new generation Galaxy Note is expected to be unveiled. The phone is pitched at business users for whom fast charging tech would be especially useful, making it an ideal showcase for Qualcomm's new tech.

But rumours are also circulating that Apple and Samsung will not longer include chargers with their new phones given that there are so many in circulation already. Apple is reportedly considering plans to sell a new 20W fast charger separately. ®

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