Skip to main content

PSA: Unlike LG’s G5, the Galaxy S7 doesn’t have support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0

Battery life is undoubtedly one of the major pain points most consumers have with their smartphones. Because of technological limitations, OEMs often have to find workarounds for squeezing out as much screen on (and off) time as possible, often working on software optimizations or simply trying to fit a larger unit inside the body of the device – at times making it removable.

Another way of circumventing such limitation took form in the way of making batteries recharge much faster, thanks to technologies such as Qualcomm‘s ‘Quick Charge’, which has now arrived at its v3.0. Expected to hit the majority of 2016 flagships, – like the LG G5, which does indeed support it – the latest iteration didn’t however make it to the Samsung Galaxy S7 (and S7 edge), which stuck with last year’s 2.0

The main reason for this seems to be the fact that, unlike last year, Samsung has gone back to differentiating chips for diverse markets. While the US-bound Snapdragon 820 would in theory be capable of taking advantage of Quick Charge 3.0 (as it does on the G5), the Samsung-made Exynos 8890 is still using the older 2.0 standard, which would be enough for the company to stick with a consistent standard not to upset customers, and potentially save some money as well.

Secondly, there’s the fact that the difference in recharging speed between Quick Charge 2.0 and 3.0 is pretty much negligible; what Qualcomm has mainly worked on in the latest version is power consumption, which should make the process about 40% more efficient. So, unless you’re worried about your electricity bill, you should still be able to top up your Galaxy S7‘s battery pretty fast.

Furthermore, to make up for the lack of 3.0, Samsung also offers a fast wireless charging solution, which it first implemented with last year’s Galaxy S6, S6 edge and then S6 edge+, and that all in all will probably turn out to be a more convenient option for most consumers rather than the minimal advantages given by the newer standard.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Edoardo Maggio Edoardo Maggio

Italian. Tech geek, video games, photography and music lover, comics-based movies enthusiast, and a sucker for good design. Amateur photographer (VSCO, 500px), writer and reporter for 9to5Google.


Edoardo Maggio's favorite gear