OnePlus 10 Pro could have ridiculously fast charging — but is it an upgrade too far?

OnePlus 10 Pro could have ridiculously fast charging — but is it an upgrade likewise far?

(Image credit: LetsGoDigitsl)

When we review handsets, charging speeds with the bundled charger are ane of the things nosotros test. And on that metric, both the OnePlus ix and OnePlus ix Pro are two of the fastest charging phones around, going from flat to full in around half an hour thank you to the bundled 65W Warp charger.

But if one leaker is to be believed, the OnePlus 10 Pro is set to leave its predecessors firmly in the dust with a bump up to 125W charging.

The tipster Mukul Sharma, who has a history of OnePlus leaks, published a list of handsets that are supposedly set to feature 125W charging including handsets from Realme and Oppo aslope the OnePlus x Pro.

Realme GT 2 Pro, Find X4 series, OnePlus x Pro, OPPO N serial telephone, Reno 8 Pro to feature 125W fast charging. pic.twitter.com/AnwtIz4BogNovember 12, 2021

To be articulate, a charger of near double the wattage doesn't equal double the charging speed. Indeed, OnePlus is likely to be using the 125W Flash Charge tech which Oppo unveiled last twelvemonth, given the two companies officially joined forces in June. If that's the case, Oppo promised that it would have 20 minutes to charge a iv,000 mAh battery. And if we assume the OnePlus 10 Pro volition have the aforementioned 4,500 mAh cell as the OnePlus nine Pro, you're likely looking at a charging fourth dimension of somewhere between 20 and 25 minutes.

In other words, there'south a law of diminishing returns going on here, and you may fairly wonder whether a saving of five-to-ten minutes is worth the upgrade — particularly as speedier charging can also reduce a battery's lifespan.

Oppo told Android Authorization that with its 125W Flash Charge, battery capacity would be "maintained" at 80% after 800 full charge and belch cycles, which is quite a driblet from the 91% claimed of the 65W charger. That was a year agone, of course, and information technology's possible that the engineering science has been refined and improved since and so. But information technology'southward even so a business organization given the limited improvement to real-world charging times.

This isn't to say that manufacturers should steer away from fast chargers, of course: anybody who has had to bargain with the painfully deadening charging of the otherwise brilliant Google Pixel half dozen Pro volition know that speedy charging can be an absolute godsend when you're in a bustle. Merely the difference between 65W and 125W may prove to be an unnecessary step for most people.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing near tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When non weighing upwardly the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his e'er-growing games backlog. Or, more probable, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.