It sure feels like an eternity has passed since Qualcomm unveiled the latest version of its fast charging technology. Named Quick Charge 4, it was announced in November of last year and was supposed to arrive alongside Snapdragon 835-equipped smartphones. That hasn't happened yet, but the company now says that some smartphones will include the feature "around the middle of the year."
According to Qualcomm, Quick Charge 4 is more efficient and runs cooler than Quick Charge 3.0. Specifically, it can run up to 20 percent faster, or 30 percent more efficient, while staying up to 5°C cooler than its predecessor. In real world terms, it means that charging your phone for just five minutes can get you five hours of battery life, and waiting 10 more minutes can fill up about 50 percent of your device's battery. In addition, Quick Charge 4 supports USB Type-C for even faster as well as more convenient charging.
One thing that Qualcomm has declined to reveal is which smartphones will support the new version of Quick Charge. According to PC World, this is likely because it's up to device manufacturers themselves to announce such details. Luckily, the mid-year is almost upon us, so we should start seeing these devices pop up relatively soon.