Battery boost: HTC unveils Rapid Charger 2.0 for its latest smartphones

By Trevor Mogg November 3, 2014

htc unveils rapid charger 2 0 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Poor battery life has been the bane of many a handset user ever since the device was invented, and while the industry continues to invest time and money in trying to find ways to keep our mobile devices operating longer, we’re still left wondering if the day will ever come when we can glance at our phone’s battery meter without fear of discovering the rest of the day will require highly strategic use in order to keep it alive.

As research in this area continues, handset makers have been coming up with various workarounds to help keep your smartphone up and running. These include devices that can recharge batteries in super-fast time, giving you the chance to boost your phone battery to a decent level in a matter of just a few minutes.

HTC is the latest firm to offer such a device, with the company over the weekend unveiling on its website the Rapid Charger 2.0. The small wall adapter, which utilizes Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology, will push life back into your handset up to 40 percent faster than a standard charger.

The new charger is good for HTC’s One M8, One E8, One Remix, and Desire Eye phones, though we’re still waiting on details regarding US pricing and availability. According to HTC Source, we shouldn’t have too long to wait, as the first batch is apparently “in transit from Taiwan” to the US.

Motorola recently launched its own Turbo Charger device – also using Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 tech – which lets users with the latest Moto phones get up to eight hours of battery life with only a 15-minute charge.

The Turbo Charger currently sells for $34.99, so perhaps we can expect to see HTC’s land with a similar price tag. We’ll keep you posted.

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