The upcoming OnePlus 8T, which will launch on October 14, will charge from zero to full in less than 40 minutes. Will it be enough to overcome the lack of wireless charging? We had an exclusive email interview with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, who explained the new high-powered technology that is being incorporated into the company’s latest phone.
OnePlus generally makes two sets of phones a year. The “T” models, released at the end of the year, tend to be hits rather than a complete reengineering of the company’s smartphones, adding new features that emerged during the year. This year, OnePlus rolled a wrench into some of its plans with the affordable OnePlus Nord, but since the Nord didn’t come out in the US, the 8T may be OnePlus’s big game of the year end on US carriers.
Most of what’s out there about 8T and its siblings right now are wishful thinking and rumors. Thanks to Lau, we know it has a 120Hz screen. Now we can also exclusively confirm that it will have a new fast charging technology, Warp Charge 65, which will offer twice the speed of OnePlus’ already fast Warp Charge 30T.
Leakmaster Evan Blass has cited a bunch of potential models: a “OnePlus 8T limited edition“as well as an 8T, an 8T Pro, a Nord N100 and a Nord N105g. Before launch, however, Lau just wanted to talk to us about the charging technology in the base 8T, which will come with a total of 4,500 mAh of battery capacity. drums.
Notice that I say “total”. The 8T will have two batteries for faster charging, Lau said. That’s a tactic I’ve only seen on folding phones before, which need to split the batteries for weight balance reasons. Here, however, it is because two small batteries fill up faster than one large one.
“It’s like filling a pool of water with two pipes of the same size. When the pipes are the same size, pouring water through two pipes instead of one is undoubtedly faster. By the same logic, we increase the voltage while maintaining the same level of current so the charger can fill two batteries at the same time, delivering a more efficient and powerful charging solution, “he said.
Myriam Joire from Mobile Tech Podcast pointed out to me that technology is not quite as new as I thought it was. While I’ve never seen dual-cell charging on a non-foldable US phone before, it’s been used on the Oppo Find X2 Pro and other Oppo and Vivo phones abroad, he said.
There are two ways to drive power to a device, creating more wattage: increasing the amperage, which is the size of the electron pipeline; or increase the voltage, which is the pressure that causes electrons to flow. Most fast charging solutions focus more on voltage than amperage. Increasing the amperage is more efficient, but it is also hotter and current travels shorter distances. OnePlus uses special cables and large power adapters that reduce heat to keep things safe.
“High-to-low voltage conversion is completed within the charger to address thermal issues. By distributing heat between the charger and the phone, better thermal reduction is achieved, ensuring efficient and safe charging,” said Lau. .
Most USB power solutions use various power levels at 3 amps. USB Power Supply (USB-PD), used with laptops, can work up to 20V at 5A, but many USB-PD chargers are 3A. Warp Charge 30T did 5V at 6A. Warp Charge 65 does 10V at 6.5A. A lower voltage also keeps the phone cooler, Lau said. (For more information on competitor solutions, check out our fast charge explainer.)
According to OnePlus, this means that the 8T will charge to 40% in 10 minutes, 58% in 15 minutes, and 100% in 39 minutes. When charging a OnePlus 8 with a Warp Charge 30 charger, I got 17% in 10 minutes, 41% in 20 minutes, and 59% in 30 minutes. The Galaxy S20 Ultra, with a 25-watt charger, hit 44% in 20 minutes.
The big question, of course, is whether this will overcome the lack of wireless charging. The OnePlus 8 Pro had a super fast 30W wireless charging. The lower-cost OnePlus 8, which came out with US carriers, didn’t. The OnePlus 8 Pro’s 30W Warp Charge wireless charging is a complex hack, using two charging pumps to convert a 20V, 1.5A power from the charger to 5V / 6A inside the phone, as Android explains. Central.
Lau said he’s betting that a total of 4,500 mAh of batteries in the 8T, which can be charged for a full day of use in 15 minutes, will eliminate “battery anxiety.”
This image from a promotional video shows what we think is the edge of the OnePlus 8T.
“Implementing the coil component required for wireless charging would increase the thickness of the phone, which we believe would affect the overall design and user experience,” Lau said.
Notice that Lau was only telling me about the OnePlus 8T. The 8T Pro, which you didn’t talk about, may still have wireless charging, if it exists, which it probably does.
The latest OnePlus phones, from left to right: OnePlus 7 Pro; the 7T Pro McLaren; the 8 Pro; and the 8.
OnePlus and Oppo are related companies. Lau wouldn’t say if Warp Charge 65 was the same tech as Oppo’s 65W Super VOOC Fast Charge 2.0, though Oppo claims to charge a phone in 35 minutes. Oppo also uses a 10V / 6.5A charge, and did the same with the split battery in its Reno Ace phone.
“Both our Warp Charge and Oppo’s 65W Super VOOC Fast Charge 2.0 are high-amp, low-voltage solutions,” Lau said.
65W is the furthest Lau is willing to go at the moment. While Oppo has shown a 125W solution, “there are other factors that we need to take into account, such as the battery life, the temperature during the charging process and the thickness of the device,” he said.
Like other OnePlus phones, the 8T will need a proprietary charger and cable. This will be the first OnePlus charger and cable to use USB-C at both ends, Lau noted. You’ll be able to charge other devices from the same charger at 45W with USB-C PD, and if you use a different charger with the OnePlus 8T, the phone will charge at 27W, she said.
We still don’t know much about the OnePlus 8T, including how many 8T models there will be, how much they will cost, and which carriers they will appear on. We’ll find out more on October 14.
