How fast is USB PD charging?

Given the variable nature of USB PD charging and the wide range of battery capacities, it’s impossible to give a precise speed for the standard. Very broadly speaking though, large battery capacity phones charge to full using 18W USB Power Delivery in a little over an hour. Large-capacity laptops using 65W charging can take an hour or two.

Unlike laptops, smartphones generally don’t like to use high voltages to charge their batteries. Typically, smartphone fast charging uses 5V or 9V and high currents to charge up the battery. For example, OnePlus’ 65W charging tech uses 10V and 6.5A charging and Huawei’s 40W option uses a similar 10V and 4A. Keep in mind that both of these are proprietary technologies.

9V is the closest USB PD voltage setting, which is capped at a much slower 27W of maximum power. Most USB Power Delivery smartphones we’ve seen don’t actually use the full 3A either, capping their power at 18-20W.

Proprietary technologies are pushing the boundaries even further, with Oppo teasing 240W capabilities and Xiaomi already offering 120W charging. That said, there are diminishing returns in terms of power consumption versus charge time anyway. Around 40W is plenty to charge a smartphone super fast.

While charging speed is an important factor in the design of USB Power Delivery, and PPS in particular, it’s not the primary design goal. USB PD was created as a single standard to power a wide range of USB gadgets. Thereby reducing the need for proprietary ports, connectors, and plugs.First and foremost, this should make it much easier for consumers to just plug and charge. E-waste from old wall charger sand cables is a growing problem, not just for landfills but as a drain on precious metals and other finite resources. There are strong environmental reasons for consumers and manufacturers to embrace a unified charging technology like USB Power Delivery.

Smartphone brands removing charging bricks from the box may be a controversial decision today, particularly as consumers don’t necessarily own a compatible USB PD PPS charger. But in the long term, we might not pay a second thought to the lack of bundled fast chargers as all our gadgets charge quickly from plugs we already own. That’s the theory anyway.