The race to make the fastest-charging smartphone continues. In the wake of Realme’s announcement of a 240W wired charging system, Infinix has announced its 260W All-Round FastCharge system, which promises to charge a smartphone battery from zero to 25% in a single minute, and on to 100% in seven minutes and 30 seconds.
What’s more, it has a fancy new wireless charging system to go along with it, called the 110W Wireless All-Round FastCharge, and it’ll pump enough power into a phone battery to reach 100% in just 16 minutes. For reference, the OnePlus 11’s 100W wired fast charging takes the cell to 100% in about 25 minutes, and even Xiaomi’s 120W charger with the Xiaomi 13 Pro takes about 20 minutes to reach the maximum.
The small GaN charger making this possible is mated to a 13A cable, a special fast charging protocol, and various internal changes to ensure the battery provides longevity too. It’s claimed the battery will still provide 90% of its energy after 1,000 charging cycles. The wireless charger features a dual-coil design so it can be used horizontally or vertically, and has a fan in the base to keep everything cool. Infinix says the system, presumably including the battery, charger, and cable, includes more than 20 temperature sensors and 140 protection mechanisms to make sure it’s safe.
While it’s interesting to see how manufacturers are pushing battery charging forward, there are some additional points to note about Infinix’s All-Round FastCharge system. Infinix has based its timing on recharging a 4,400mAh battery, which is a lower capacity than most flagship phones today, such as the OnePlus 11’s 5,000mAh battery. The 260W capacity is a great headline, but according to USB.org, the organization that oversees the USB standard, the maximum power delivered by USB PD Revision 3.1 systems is 240W.
Digital Trends asked Infinix for clarification about how it’s squeezing more power from its charger and cable, and received this comment from the company:
“Infinix continues to push the boundaries of fast charging technology. It makes the 260W high-power extreme fast charging possible through Infinix’s proprietary fast charging protocol, combined with its innovations in the charger, charging cable, and charging architecture. This breakthrough is a testament to Infinix’s strong technical foundation and innovative capabilities.”
This doesn’t clear much up, but we’ll likely learn more when the technology is released. Infinix will launch the All-Round FastCharge system on the next device in its Note series, but it has not provided a timeframe. It released the Note 12 2023 in October 2022, so it may be some time before it arrives.
