Huawei's Fast-Charging Batteries Could Solve Power Users' Problems

 Huawei Technologies last week unveiled lithium-ion batteries that recharge in minutes rather than hours.

The batteries, developed by Huawei's Watt Lab, recharge 10 times faster than their competitors and can reach 50 percent capacity in two to five minutes, the company said.

Huawei demonstrated two models at the 56th Battery Symposium in Japan last week: a 600-mAh unit that reached 68 percent capacity in two minutes and a 3,000-mAh model that reached 48 percent capacity in five minutes.

Hot Technology

Fast charging is fast becoming a hot technology.

"We're seeing a lot of investment in fast-charging technology," said Ross Rubin, senior director for industry analysis at App Annie.

"The need is growing because batteries in smartphones and other devices keep getting larger," he told TechNewsWorld. "You practically need fast charging to avoid a prohibitively long time to get to a full charge."

Although consumers value fast charging, there's another charging feature they may even value more: wireless charging. However, it too has its drawbacks, Rubin noted. "Currently, technologies such as the Qi wireless charging standard charge much more slowly than fast wired charging."