Timeline Of Charger(And Cable) Equipmenzt: From 2w to 300w fast charging

1980-1990s: The beginning of mobile phone chargers
In the 1980s and 1990s, with the popularity of mobile phones, mobile phone chargers also came out, and the charging method it adopted was seat charging. When charging a mobile phone, it should be placed on a dedicated charging base, so that the charging contacts at the bottom of the mobile phone contact the positive and negative poles on the charging base to power the battery. The chargers of this period were large in size and charged slowly, usually taking several hours to fully charge.

2000: Popularization of USB interfaces
Entering the 21st century, 1. The charger became a charger for charging mobile phone lithium batteries; 2. The earliest charger that can be directly plugged into a mobile phone is this "extremely advanced" 360° round hole charger, which can be plugged in anywhere. Until now, most routers and laptops are also powered by this round hole charger. 3. USB interface began to emerge in mobile phone charging.

2007: iPhone Release and the Rise of Micro-USB
Mobile phones have developed into the era of semi-smartphones equipped with Symbian and Windows Phone systems. Mobile phones are no longer a single device, and there is also a need to transfer data with computers.
The maximum voltage and current allowed by the Micro-USB interface is only 5V-500ma, which is 2.5 watts. The two interfaces do not interfere with each other and each performs its own duties, one is responsible for powering the battery and the other is responsible for transmitting data to the computer. At the same time, Micro-USB has gradually become the standard interface of the Android camp, and mobile phone chargers have entered a more standardized era.

2012: Introduction of fast charging and Lightning interface
Apple released the Lightning interface, replacing the original 30-pin interface with its compact and durable design. At the same time, with the continuous improvement of mobile phone hardware, the demand for fast charging has become more urgent. Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology came into being and became the first batch of fast charging technologies compatible with Android devices, which significantly improved the charging speed of devices.

2013: Qualcomm released QC1.0 fast charging technology
QC1.0 broke through the 1.5A current limit of BC1.2 for micro-USB and directly gave the current to the maximum supported 2A of the interface. The peak power directly reached 10W. Coupled with the exclusive optimized Qualcomm power management IC, it can be said that users finally enjoyed the "fast charging" experience at that time.

2014: Charging protocols released by major manufacturers
1.Samsung released the Galaxy Note4. The 5.7-inch 2K AMOLED screen was stunning at the time. Samsung's own AFC fast charging protocol was also released with the Note4.
The maximum voltage and current of the first generation AFC protocol supported 9V2A, which is a peak power of 18W. But Samsung adjusted it conservatively that year, and the charging power in actual application was 9V 1.67A and the peak power was 15W. It lasted until the S10, and it was not until the end of 2019 that Samsung raised the fast charging power to 45W with the Note10.
2.OPPO's own private protocol VOOC Flash Charge 1.0 was released, and OPPO Find 7 was released with VOOC Flash Charge 1.0. The charging cable of VOOC Flash Charge 1.0 has a total of seven contacts, four of which are used for power transmission, and the maximum current that can be transmitted has doubled from 2A to 4A.

It was still 2014, and USB-IF finally remembered that it seemed that it had to increase the charging power of the USB interface.
At the end of 2014, USB-IF released the most widely used USB Type-C interface to date.
The new Type-C interface has 24 contacts, 4 of which are used for power transmission, and the maximum current is directly pulled to 5A. The USB Power Delivery 2.0 charging protocol was also released with the type-C interface, which is the PD charging protocol we commonly use today. Relying on this PD2.0+Type-C interface to achieve full coverage from 5W-100W, the official charging protocol of USB-IF finally stood out among a bunch of private protocols.


2015: USB-C and the Popularization of Fast Charging
The USB-C interface began to become popular in 2015 and became the standard interface for many smartphones and laptops. USB-C not only supports higher power transmission, but also can be inserted on both sides, which greatly improves the user experience.
Qualcomm's variable voltage design QC2.0 was released, with a maximum charging power of 18W.
Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 and USB-C Power Delivery (PD) protocols further improved the charging speed, helping mobile phones gradually transition from "fast charging" to the "extreme charging" era.

2016: QC3.0 charging protocol
In order to solve the heating problem during high-voltage charging, Qualcomm developed the INOV algorithm. Along with the release of the algorithm, a new generation of QC3.0 charging protocol that can fine-tune the voltage was also released.
The QC3.0 protocol did not significantly improve the charging power of mobile phones, but supported voltage fine-tuning from 3.6V to 20V with an accuracy of 0.2V. This means that during the charging process, the charger will be more intelligent and efficient in transmitting power to the mobile phone, and the control of heating and battery life will be greatly increased compared to the previous generation.

2017: Compatibility with PD3.0 PPS protocol and Qualcomm QC4.0+ protocol
PD3.0 PPS: The purpose is to allow all third-party charging protocols to break barriers and work interoperably. PD3.0 PPS is compatible with all mainstream charging protocols at the time, such as Qualcomm's QC, USB's own BC, Samsung's AFC, MediaTek's FE, Huawei's FCP SCP, and OPPO's VOOC.

QC4.0+ protocol: The variable voltage design accuracy of 3.0 is increased from 0.2V to 0.02V, and the trickle charging function is added, which takes the control of charging heat and battery life to a new level. At the same time, the peak power is increased to 100W and compatibility with PD3.0 PPS is added.

2018: Gallium nitride (GaN) technology leads the new generation of chargers
Gallium nitride (GaN) technology enters the charging field. GaN materials have high efficiency and high heat dissipation performance, making the charger smaller and more powerful.
GaN chargers have quickly become the mainstream for charging portable electronic devices, and the popularity of USB-C PD technology has further expanded the scope of application of GaN chargers. Today, GaN chargers are not only used in mobile phones, but also gradually expanded to high-power demand devices such as laptops and tablets.

2020: Multi-port GaN chargers and high-power charging
With the maturity of GaN technology, 45W, 65W and even 100W multi-port GaN chargers have gradually entered the market, supporting multiple devices to charge at the same time, suitable for different power requirements. Manufacturers led by Apple and Samsung have added PD fast charging support to their high-end devices, so that one charger can meet the fast charging needs of multiple devices.

2022: Ultra-high-speed and universal charging
In 2022, high-power chargers of 120W, 150W and even 240W will enter the market to support devices with higher requirements, such as high-end notebooks, gaming laptops, etc. At the same time, the unified standard of the USB PD protocol has gradually achieved cross-brand and cross-device compatibility, so that users no longer need to choose specific chargers for different devices, truly realizing the universalization of chargers.

2024: Diversified development of chargers
As of October 2024, the technology of chargers continues to break through, and GaN III technology, AI intelligent identification fast charging technology, and more accurate temperature control systems continue to emerge. Future chargers will not only focus on power improvement and size reduction, but also pay more attention to user safety needs and device compatibility. Chargers have evolved from basic charging devices to intelligent charging management systems, providing stable, efficient, and portable charging support for various mobile devices.


From simple charging devices to intelligent and efficient charging solutions, from 2w to the current 200w and 300w, the development of chargers has demonstrated the power of scientific and technological progress and people's continuous pursuit of improving the quality of life. Behind every time you charge and enjoy fast charging, there are countless engineers working day and night. Thanks to these engineers for making our mobile phone experience better.

Charging technology is still innovating further, and chargers will continue to evolve to meet the diverse needs of modern life.I look forward to the further development and realization of technology.

Learn about the relevant technologies in the article
>>View more USB charger features
>>More about Micro USB technology
>>Learn more about USB C technology
>>GaN charger principles and advantages