Fast charging is one of those lifesavers that we now take for granted on most modern flagships. Let’s say you forgot to charge your phone before going to bed. No worries, a quick charge as you get ready for the day and you’ll be back to 100% in no time. In the case of the Realme GT5 240W you can do a full charge in 10 minutes and a 20% charge in just 80 seconds as stated by the manufacturer.
This is nothing new as Realme GT3 aka GT Neo5 in China pioneered the 240W SuperVOOC charging system earlier this year. However, it is truly impressive to see the rate of development in the smartphone charging industry and we always think back to the humble beginnings of fast charging smartphones over a decade ago.
For our latest charging test, we’ll be using the 240W SuperVOOC charger and the thick double-sided USB-C cable that comes bundled with the Realme GT5. The charging brick claims a maximum output of 20V/12A (12A current) which translates to peak charging speeds of 240W. It is also compatible with PD 3.0 and offers speeds of 65W (20V/ 3.25A), sufficient for most other phones, tablets and even some low-power laptops.
It’s not the largest charging brick around, but it’s not something you’ll want to carry in your pocket either. The entire solution weighs 210 grams overall: 170 grams for the charger and 40 grams for the cable.
Here we’re charging a 4,600mAh dual-cell battery split between two 2,300mAh cells. It features a nine-layer cooling system that ensures the temperature doesn’t get out of hand and a total of 60 (sixty) layers of safety measures. We are also confident that extremely fast charging will not degrade the battery any more than normal charging. In fact, Realme ran the tests and the battery retained 80% of its initial capacity after 1,600 charge cycles, which is double the 80% after 800 charge cycles of most other phones on the market.
But enough chatter, let’s see how quickly the Realme GT5 240W charges.
Well, Realme GT5 240W managed exactly one full charge 12 minutes and 10 seconds. Not quite the advertised 10 minutes, but still faster than any other smartphone not called the Realme GT3.
Analyzing the GT5 240W charging test: We were at 8% after just 30 seconds on the charger and went up to 15% at minute 1. From there it was all gas, no brakes as the GT5 240W hit a charge by 20% in 80 seconds just as advertised. It then progressed steadily to 50% after 4 minutes and 80% after 8 minutes. After that things slowed down a bit, reaching 93% after 10 minutes and then 97% after 11 minutes.
You can see how some of the fastest charging phones on the market perform in the following comparison.
We should also mention that the ambient temperature plays an important role in the charging time. Our test was carried out at an ambient temperature of 23°C. The phone was kept on for testing, and we checked the screen to see how charging was progressing, which likely contributed to the 2-minute gap between Realme’s claimed numbers and our results.
But most impressively, the GT5 240W didn’t get excessively hot during the entire process. While the phone did get a little warm, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The charger did get warm, but nothing too different from any other regular charger we’ve tested.
We can confidently say that Realme and the rest of the BBK Group are at the forefront of the fast-growing game and are pushing the envelope. Fully charging your phone in less time than it takes to prepare a simple breakfast is still a surreal experience, and we can only hope that 240W charging technology makes its way to more phones and markets sooner rather than later.
We’re also hoping for a unified fast charging standard that makes charging cables and modules interchangeable between devices and brands.
Start a new Thread