Does the USB Cable Have Any Effect on Fast Charging?

In February 2022, Oppo announced the world's fastest phone charging. Their 240W charger can charge a 4500mAh battery in just nine minutes, although at the time of the announcement, the technology wasn't yet compatible with any phone on the market. 

Fast charging offers a lot of convenience. Instead of having to wait for several hours for your phone to charge fully, many modern smartphones are able to charge up to 70% or beyond in just half an hour.

If you want to reap the benefits of fast charging, however, then you need the right equipment. Obviously you'll need a fast charging power supply, but there's another piece of equipment that's just as important.

Read on as we take a look at how your USB cable has a significant effect on charging speed.

What Is Fast Charging?

Standard chargers are rated at around 5W. This is a measure of their power output, or in other words, the rate of energy transfer. The higher the wattage, the faster a charger can transfer energy. Fast charging is simply charging using a power supply that is rated higher than 5W.

Different manufacturers offer different charging standards. For example, Apple offers an 20W fast charging power adapter, and Samsung offers a 25W fast charging power adapter. You can also buy high-quality third-party chargers that are specifically designed for fast charging. Since all of these chargers are significantly more powerful than the standard 5W chargers, they offer a much higher charging speed.

You will usually see information on charging times given in terms of how long a charger can get a phone up to 50% or 60%. This is because of the way that batteries recharge. They are very quick to charge to around 60%, but then it takes much longer to reach full charge. In order to preserve battery life, many phones will limit the charging power once your battery reaches a certain level.

Fast Charging Starts With the Charger

If you want your phone to charge quickly, then the first thing you will need is a good-quality fast charger.

Think of charging your phone a little like filling up a bucket of water. Your phone is the bucket that needs to be filled. The cable is the pipe that carries the water. The charger is the faucet; the source of the water.

If your faucet is weak, then the bucket will take a long time to fill up. A standard 5W charger is like a weak faucet; it will fill up the bucket, but you'll need to wait some time for it to do so.

In comparison, a fast charger is like a powerful faucet with a strong stream. The bucket will fill up much more quickly, since the faucet is offering an increased amount of power.

The key thing to look for if you want fast charging is the wattage of the charger. Look for a charger that offers 20W or more; these chargers are the equivalent of powerful faucets, and will give you the power you need to charge your phone quickly.

What Difference Does the USB Cable Make?

As we've already learned, the USB cable is like the pipe you use to fill up your bucket. It's inevitable that different pipes will either increase or decrease the speed that bucket fills up. 

Let's take a look at some of the most important features of USB cables when it comes to fast charging.

Gauge

Probably the most important feature if you want to charge quickly is the gauge of your cable.

This is a measure of the thickness of the wire that is used to carry the power from the charger to your phone. If you think about the analogy of the pipe, a wider pipe will allow the water to flow much more quickly. A narrow pipe will restrict the flow, so the bucket will take longer to fill up.

Standard wires in USB cables are usually 28 gauge. These are fairly narrow wires, which means that the flow is restricted. In electrical terms, these wires can only carry low currents. Wider gauge cables are like wider pipes; they can carry more current, and so these cables charge faster than narrower cables.

The way that gauge is measured in counterintuitive; the lower the number, the wider the cable. Look for a USB cable with a gauge of 24 or even lower for the best fast charging speeds.

Length

The length of your USB cables can also make a difference. If you have a shorter hose, the water will reach your bucket more quickly, so it will fill sooner.

That being said, you need to find a balance between charging speed and convenience. A one-inch USB cable would charge quickly, but it wouldn't be much use in the real world.

Realistically, for a high-quality charging cable, the length won't have a massive impact on charging times.

Durability

Another key factor is durability. If your cable frays and the wire inside gets damaged, then charging speeds can be affected. 

Always choose charging cables that are highly durable so that you can get plenty of good use out of them.

Connectors

The final factor is the connectors on your cable. If the end of your pipe gets damaged, the water won't be able to flow into your bucket as easily, and the same is true of USB cables.

You may have experienced the situation where your phone will no longer charge when you plug the cable in, because the connector is damaged or corroded. 

One way to bypass these issues is to choose USB cables with removable tips that stay inside your phone and connect to the charging cable magnetically. Since the tip stays in place, it doesn't get worn out through constant insertion and removal, and your charging port is also protected from dust and other contaminants.

Are You Looking for a Great Fast Charging Cable?

If you're looking for high-quality fast charging cables, then you're in the right place.

Our ProSeries fast charging cables are made with 21 gauge copper wire that supports simultaneous PD/PPS fast charging and data transfer. 21 gauge wire is more than twice the diameter of the 28 gauge wires used in standard charging cables, meaning that it can allow more current to flow.

Our cables are also highly durable; they're wrapped in double braided ballistic PBV nylon that has been bend tested more than 30,000 times. That means our cables can last up to 12 times longer than conventional cables.

The ProSeries cables include magnetic charging tips. These tips stay inside your phone and connect with a convenient magnetic connector. Since you're not constantly inserting and removing the charging cable from your phone, you don't have to worry about the connectors wearing out.

Check out our range of fast charging cables today.