- Oppo’s 125W charging technology can reduce your battery capacity to 80% in just over two years.
- That’s significantly more degradation than with 65W technology.
Oppo’s 125-watt flash charge may be great if you want to quickly recharge your phone, but that performance could come at the cost of long-term battery life.
The company noted that the battery capacity “stays” at 80% after 800 cycles of full charge and discharge at 125W. In other words, you can lose a fifth of its capacity in just over two years if you completely drain the battery every day. It will really last longer if you still have some charge left at the end of each day, but there is a chance that you will notice the effect. Of course, lighter users will take longer to reach that 800 cycle mark.
Either way, Oppo’s new technology degrades batteries faster than we’ve seen before.
Loading surveyThis appears to be significantly worse than with previous cable charging technology. Oppo previously reported that its 65W charge reduced a battery’s capacity to approximately 91 percent after 800 cycles. That is still significant, but it may not have a tangible effect for the life of your device.
This is not a complete surprise. High-power charging puts additional strain on a battery, and Oppo had to adopt a higher-quality battery design that could handle the enormous 12.5A current of the 125W charger. However, it suggests that existing fast charging technology may be reaching its limits.
This is not the only new fast charging option, fortunately. Oppo also offers 50W and 110W mini chargers that shouldn’t affect your battery as much. Also, full charge speed only applies to phones compatible with Oppo technology; Other devices will last longer if you use more universal formats like USB Power Delivery or Qualcomm’s Quick Charge. And if you prefer to minimize recharging in the first place, there are always battery saving apps to make the most of your device.
Next: Oppo Find X2 Pro review: fast, modern and fantastic
