Thanks to an updated version of Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology, future smartphones are going to charge much faster. By comparison, the iPhone 12 may look quite slow.

Quick Charge 5, announced today (July 27), promises to take a depleted Android phone from 0% to 50% battery life in five minutes of charging and fully charge it in 15 minutes. Qualcomm says it is the first fast charging platform capable of supporting more than 100 watts of charging power.

In contrast, the iPhone 12 is expected to support a 20W "fast" charger, and there are rumors that Apple will not include this charger.

According to Qualcomm's figures, Quick Charge 5 is up to 70% more efficient than Quick Charge 4, the fast charging technology it replaces. It is also four times faster than the previous model when using a standard USB-C cable. [Qualcomm expects Quick Charge 5 to be included in devices this quarter and is currently supported on the chipmaker's Snapdragon 865 and 865 Plus chipsets. Quick Charge 5 will eventually be available on Qualcomm's 7 and 6 series, and is expected to be included in other chipsets in the series.

Normally, Qualcomm follows handset manufacturers when announcing support for their chips and technologies, and Quick Charge 5 is no different. However, Xiaomi said the new fast charging technology will be incorporated into the Chinese phone maker's future devices.

As for the possibility of Qualcomm's announced technology suddenly finding its way into phones, Qualcomm announced its Snapdragon 865 Plus system-on-chip on July 8. Two weeks later, Asus, Lenovo, and Samsung announced phones with this new chipset.

In addition to faster charging times, Quick Charge 5 enhances dual charging technology, charging the battery using different paths within the phone to improve heat dissipation and efficiency. Quick Charge also features Battery Saver and Adapter Identification technologies that smartly determine adapter capacity, which work together to extend the life cycle of the battery.