OnePlus Dash Charger

OnePlus is quoting charging speeds going from flat to 50% in just 20 minutes with Warp Charge, and a full charge in under an hour. Warp Charge has been standard on all OnePlus phones for over a year, and on the OnePlus 7T, OnePlus introduced an updated version of Warp Charge called Warp Charge 30T that's able to deliver a 30W charge for longer, allowing the phone to top up from zero to 70% in just 30 minutes.

And with the OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus is finally rolling out wireless charging. Dubbed Warp Charge 30 Wireless, the wireless charging standard delivers the same 30W charging speeds as the wired solution.

While there are other fast charging solutions that let you top up your battery quickly, the advantage with OnePlus' implementation is that it doesn't overheat your phone. That's because most of the charging circuitry is offloaded onto the wall unit. Like Dash Charge, Warp Charge is based on OPPO's Super VOOC charging standard, and is different from the majority of quick charging options available today.

Here's what you need to know about Warp Charge 30T, and the latest Warp Charge 30 Wireless.

A standard smartphone battery is highly reactive, which is why phone companies have several safeguards built into the charging circuitry. Lithium-Ion batteries are able to take in more power initially, tapering out as the charge builds. It is on this principle that fast charging works.

Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology delivers a higher voltage to the battery to expedite charging time. Quick Charge 4.0 is fully compliant with the USB-C Power Delivery (PD) spec, and is 20% faster and up to 30% more efficient than Quick Charge 3.0. Qualcomm has introduced a power management algorithm called Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage (INOV) to ensure better temperature regulation, along with safeguards to protect against overheating and overcharging.

Qualcomm claims that with its parallel charging technology, you'll be able to use your phone for five hours with just a five-minute charge. The chip vendor licenses the technology to third-party OEMs, but more and more brands are rolling out their own solutions. Samsung, for instance, switched to USB Power Delivery's Programmable Power Supply (PPS) spec for the Galaxy Note 10 series, offering 45W wired charging. The same tech is seen in this year's Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Meanwhile, OPPO has its own fast charging solution dubbed SuperVOOC (Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging). The fast charging system is used in the likes of the the Find X2 Pro, Reno series, and other OPPO flagships. With the Find X2 Pro, OPPO is offering an insane 65W fast charging solution, with the brand relying on a bi-cell configuration (there are two 2130mAh batteries in the phone) and delivering 10V over 6.5A. The result? You'll be able to charge the battery on the Find X2 Pro from zero to full in just 38 minutes.

OPPO licenses SuperVOOC to OnePlus and Realme, with all three companies falling under the BBK umbrella. OnePlus' Warp Charge uses the same underlying tech, with the only difference being the branding and the distinctive red charging cable.

OPPO uses dedicated circuitry in the charger itself for heat management and dissipation, which is why you can only get the quoted charging speeds with its own wall plug. That's why on Warp Charge, you'll have to use the bundled wall charger or the car charger to get 30W charging speeds.

The key difference between SuperVOOC and Quick Charge is that while Qualcomm uses higher voltages to charge batteries, OPPO relies on delivering a higher amperage. For instance, Quick Charge 3.0 goes up to 6.5V at 3A, creating 19.5W, whereas Warp Charge delivers 5V at 6A to attain 30W. But because all the associated circuitry is in the wall unit, you'll get all the advantages of fast charging without any of the downsides (overheating).

One of the main benefits of Warp Charge 30T is its ability to keep temperatures low while charging. The fast charging option allows you to watch videos or play games while the phone is charging, with no net drop in charging speeds. That isn't the case with Quick Charge, as the higher voltages invariably lead to the phone reverting to normal speeds to prevent overheating.

In fact, OnePlus is actively touting Warp Charge's efficacy in this area, stating that the charging standard will deliver up to a 52% charge in 30 minutes while gaming. With the screen off, Warp Charge 30T will be able to charge the battery from flat to 70% in 30 minutes, and a full charge in an hour flat.

Even though the OnePlus 8 can charge up to 50% in just 20 minutes, it takes an additional 40 minutes to fully charge the battery. That's to prevent damage to the battery (and more importantly, you), with the wall charger limiting output at 2A after hitting 75% and going even lower after reaching 85%. The microcontroller unit inside the phone constantly monitors the charge level to determine the desired amperage to be delivered. This is a good thing, because it ensures that everything doesn't burn down when you plug your phone in overnight.

The main disadvantage with Warp Charge 30T is that you need to use OnePlus-branded chargers to get the advertised speeds, as OPPO is yet to license the technology to third-party vendors. You can use other chargers to top up the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro — it offers USB PD — and use the Warp Charge wall charger with other devices, but in both cases they will fall back to a lower charging speed.