The World's Fastest Charging Smartphone Isn't Coming To The U.S.

2022-07-23 06:32:11 By : Ms. Aurdury FU

iQOO's latest flagship sets a new fast-charging standard with 200W speeds, surpassing previous records set by brands like Oppo and OnePlus.

iQOO, a subsidiary of Vivo, has announced its latest flagship smartphone that sets a new fast-charging record, but unfortunately, it won't make it to the U.S. Chinese manufacturers have been at the forefront of fast-charging technologies. In 2021, the record was 120W fast charging but this year, Oppo and OnePlus have launched a number of smartphones with support for 150W fast charging.

Now, iQOO, a brand that started as an off-shoot of Vivo just as Redmi is to Xiaomi, has broken that record. However, it is still slightly behind the 240W fast charging prototype Oppo showed off at MWC 2022 back in February. Not all manufacturers are onboard the superfast charging train. Brands such as Google and Apple are still playing it safe by sticking to a significantly lower wattage for their fast charging technology.

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The iQOO 10 Pro made its debut in China as the world's first smartphone with support for 200W fast wired charging, surpassing the previous record of 150W available on a handful of devices including the OnePlus 10R. With this superfast charging speed, the iQOO 10 Pro's dual-cell 4,700mAh battery can be charged from empty to full in just 10 minutes. The phone is able to achieve this with a bundled GaN charger that has a 10A rating. Alongside superfast charging, the iQOO 10 Pro also packs other flagship-grade specifications.

iQOO has equipped its phone with a 6.78-inch E5 AMOLED curved display. It is a 3,200×1,440 120Hz LTPO 3.0 10-bit panel which means its refresh rate can automatically adjust between 1Hz to 120Hz for better power efficiency. In addition, the display has support for DC Dimming, HDR10+, and has a peak brightness level of 1,500 nits. Under the hood is a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor and it is paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of non-expandable storage. In addition to Qualcomm's chip, the phone also has a proprietary processor called the V1+ which handles graphics in high-intensity games while keeping the temperature low.

On the camera side, the iQOO 10 Pro has a 50MP f/1.8 main camera and it uses gimbal stabilization technology like the upcoming ZenFone 9 for shake-free videos. It is also capable of recording in 8K. There's also a 14.6MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and 40x digital zoom, and a 50MP ultra-wide angle camera. In the front, there's a 16MP sensor that sits inside a centered punch hole. For connectivity, the phone has NFC, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. There is also support for LDAC, AAC, and Qualcomm's aptX Adaptive and aptX HD codecs. Users will also find an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner under the display.

For those concerned about the safety of the charging speeds, iQOO has provided alternatives. The phone can also be charged with a 65W charger that supports USB Power Delivery and PPS fast charging protocol. And those that prefer wireless charging can also enjoy up to 50W speeds. The iQOO 10 Pro runs Android 12 with Vivo's custom OriginOS on top. Unfortunately, iQOO's new flagship phone won't be getting a U.S, launch, but those who want to import it should be able to get it through resellers. In China, the phone is priced at ¥4,999 (~$740) for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The iQOO 10 Pro 12GB+256GB version is available at ¥5,499 (~$815), while the highest configuration with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage retails for ¥5,999 (~$889).

NEXT: How 120W Fast Charging Is Already A Game-Changer For Me

Habeeb enjoys writing about the consumer technology space and has a keen interest in wearables, Android smartphones and tablets, and Chromebooks. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows and movies.