Although many Apple users are still stuck at a maximum charging power of 18W, Xiaomi smartphones have already reached 120W. If we consider that we started from a power of 5W, this is a jump of 24 times compared to the beginning. But how did we go from 5W to 120W? Well today let's find out thanks to an official release that describes in detail the evolution of Xiaomi charging.
From 5W to 120W: How Xiaomi's fast charging has evolved
Let's start from 2011, with the first Xiaomi smartphone that equipped a 5V1A 5W recharge, which was already at the forefront compared to the 5V and 500mA ones of competitors.
While a couple of years later, in 2013, the Xiaomi Mi 3 adopted a non-removable battery for the first time with support for Quick Charge QC 2.0 technology. Quick Charge QC 2.0 could achieve fast charging of 10W (5V2A) and reduce the charging time by 30%. Therefore, starting with the Mi 3, Xiaomi has officially started experimenting with "Fast Charging".
In 2015, the Xiaomi Mi 5 adopted the new (at the time) QC 3.0. Thanks to the dual charging parallel charging technology, the speed has been increased by 20% and the power has been increased again, up to a maximum of 18W.
Being a very advanced technology for that period, it was used for several years. The three generations of products from Mi 5 to Mi 8 are in fact all equipped with 18W fast charging.
That said, various charging technologies were born during the same period and continued to innovate and develop. Charging power has continued to increase, with 20W, 22,5W, 30W and even 40W charging technologies slowly appearing on the market.
We then arrive at 2019, the year in which the Xiaomi Mi 9 arrives with a 27W wired charging. This is the first time that Mi 9's flagship smartphone has increased its charging power in recent years. A standard 27W charger is given in the box, with support for the QC4 + fast charging protocol.
In addition, half voltage direct charge pump technology is adopted for the first time, which not only improves the charging power, but also reduces the energy loss during the charging process, surpassing TUV fast charging safety certification Rheinland.
Now, although the wired charging power is lower than other flagship devices of the same year, we are very close to a substantial increase. In fact, an upgrade of the Xiaomi Mi 9 is presented with the name of Mi 9 Pro. The new smartphone has been updated to support 40W wired charging with the standard 45W power supply and a 4000mAh battery, for a full charge in only 48 minutes. In addition, the power supply is compatible with the PD protocol, therefore also convenient for charging laptops and other devices that support the protocol.
Let's go for six months and we have the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro released in February of 2020 which has increased the charging power to 50W. Huge charging power second only to that of some OPPO devices with 65W charging. In any case, the 4500mAh battery could be recharged to 100% in 45 minutes.
We therefore come to the present day with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra which adopts a 120W very high power wired charging, double cell battery with butterfly design, equivalent to 4500mAh, This can be recharged by 41% in only 5 minutes and to 100% in 23 minutes. Becoming the first mass-produced smartphone that supports such high power.
In addition to the 120W wired charging, we cannot forget the wireless one which reaches the incredible power of 50W. To this is added the Reverse Wireless Charging to be able to recharge various wireless gadgets such as a pair of TWS headphones.
In conclusion, in the last 10 years Xiaomi has innovated like no other brand in the field of charging technology. Who knows what numbers we will arrive at in another 10 years, even if in our opinion 120W seems more than enough for several years to follow.
