Huawei Researchers Safely Recharge 3000 mAh Battery to 48 Percent in Just 5 Minutes
Huawei recently demonstrated a prototype smartphone battery that's capable of going from a fully drained state to nearly half-capacity with a mere five minutes of charging. In the demo, Huawei plugs the drained battery into a charger, which itself is connected to a power strip. After five minutes of charging, Huawei removes the battery and installs it back into the smartphone, which then shows a 48 percent charge.
In a separate demonstration, Huawei performed the same test, but with a 600mAh battery. In that instance, it went from being fully drained to a 68 percent capacity after just two minutes spent in the charger. Huawei says that in both cases, fast recharges can be done over and over again -- it's not a one-and-done deal.
The fast charging batter technology is the result of a collaborative effort between Huawei and its research and development subsidiary Watt Lab. Like today's phone batteries, Huawei's prototypes use lithium ion technology, but with graphite atoms bonded to the anode. The technology allows for much faster charges without giving up battery life or capacity.
Huawei didn't say when its fast charging batteries will exit the prototype stage and become a commercial product.