No phone charges faster than the OnePlus 5T, tests reveal

While most users will complain that battery capacity is a largely overlooked feature in new flagship devices—most flagships sit around the 3000 mAh mark, and some, the Moto Z2 Force, for example, offered downgrades on their predeccessors—another major factor that must be considered is charging speed. It stands to reason that a phone which charges a lot faster than a competitor with a slightly larger battery would be preferable. The people over at Tom's Guide carried out a set of test to find out which device charges fastest.

The devices tested were, of course, the absolute best smartphones on the market at the moment, as it's logical to assume that they possess the best charging technologies. All devices were also tested using their stock charging packs, with screens turned off. The results were interesting. 

The OnePlus 5T registered an impressive 59% over 30 minutes of charge, effectively cementing its place as the fastest charging smartphone in the world. It's no surprise, really, as OnePlus' Dash Charge has gained a reputation for amazing performance, due to its higher amperage and better thermal handling. It should be noted that Qualcomm's new Quick Charge 4+ was not used on any of these devices, so there may be a chance that it keeps up with Dash Charge.

The LG V30 came in second with 53%, the Google Pixel 2 in far third with 38%, and the Samsung Galaxy devices with times varying from 35-38%. The iPhones 8, 8 Plus, and X powered up 30%, 26%, and 17% respectively. That was when using their regular chargers, however. Apple has the option of paying extra for fast charging packs, and when those were used, the charging performance of the three devices skyrocketed to an impressive 49%, 47%, and 50%, effectively making the iPhone X the third fastest charging device in the world, when charged with Apple's $70 optional charging pack.

Of course, this test doesn't account for battery capacities of the considered devices, and more importantly, real-life battery performance. But it's still nice to be able to refer to your device as the fastest charging smartphone in the world. Only if you own a OnePlus 5T, though.

For some more perspective, the 5T, LG V30, and Note 8 all have the largest batteries—3300 mAh units, so the numbers the 5T put up are impressive, no matter what. All tested Android devices were also powered by the same 10nm Snapdragon 835 processor, so real life battery performance will not have a large variance.