Fast Charge, Quick Charge, SuperCharge. You may have heard these few terms being thrown around by smartphone and laptop manufacturers with the promise of reducing charging times by up to 50 per cent.

But what exactly are the mechanics behind it? Are there actual statistics to back this up or is it just a huge marketing ploy?

As our devices grow progressively hungrier for power, we require quicker and more efficient ways to satiate their appetites. Fast Charge was made with this particular goal in mind.

The most common standard of Fast Charging is the USB-C Power Delivery (USB-C PD), though there are other manufacturers with their device-specific type like Qualcomm's Quick Charge, Oppo's VOOC and Huawei's SuperCharge.

In this article, we will mainly be touching on USB-C PD as it is the most common type of Fast Charging.

What is fast charge?

Traditionally, a simple charging mechanic works with a gadget accepting the input from another the power source without returning any response and is one-way traffic. However, with USB-PD, both devices communicate and exchange a power contract via trade of information. Allowing for a more efficient charge and hence reducing the time required to power up your battery.

All the technical terms aside, if your device is equipped with a USB-C PD charger, you will be looking at hitting the 50 per cent battery mark within half an hour.

Additionally, USB-C technology is being exponentially adopted with many devices being produced with USB-C ports and being PD enabled. By adapting to this technology early, you save yourself the hassle of buying new chargers and adaptors later on.

Choosing the right cable and charger

This is the breakdown for what charger you may need for different types of devices:

• Smartphones (Apple/Android/Google) - 18W
• Tablets - 30W
• Laptops - 30W to 60W

For Power Delivery to work, you need 3 key components:

• A PD-enabled device (smartphone/laptop etc)
• USB-C to USB-C/Lightning Cable
• PD-enabled charger

Hailed as a Universal Charging Solution, the USB-C cable may be the only cable you ever need in the near future. Even with a higher wattage PD charger, your gadget will only receive the amount of wattage it requires due to the constant communication between both devices. For instance, a 60W charger would still only output 18W to an iPhone 11. One singular charger may be all you need for your gadgets as long as they are all PD enabled!

It is extremely normal to wonder if charging at such high speeds could cause electrical and technical failure. Fret not! USB-C connectors were made with Power Delivery in mind and hence are able to handle such high wattage.

Most third-party cables are also designed to work with all types of Fast Charging standards, so keep a lookout and read the product label before purchasing. So hop on the USB-C PD bandwagon early and you will be ready to breeze through your day without a worry.

Tip: The total wattage you see on a charger is not the same as the output wattage per port. For e.g. a charger advertised as 60W may not mean they output 60W per port, rather, 45W for USB-C and 15W for USB-A.

Best smartphone fast charger - Anker PowerPort 2 [PD + PiQ]

• Up to 30W USB-C charging
• USB-A charging goes up to 19.5W

Kicking off the list with the Anker PowerPort 2 [PD + PiQ], this is the most recommended third-party smartphone fast charger out in the market. There are two available ports, a USB-C PD and a USB-A with PiQ, allowing you to charge up to two compatible devices simultaneously. The chipset contained within ensures you get the maximum power output to your devices and see the best charging times.

Light, portable and very capable, this is a great Fast Charger for any PD devices (Samsung, Google Pixel, iPhone, LG etc) and the version we recommended on Lazada comes with a 3-pin plug, suitable for Singapore homes!

Buy Anker PowerPort 2 from Lazada here.

Best laptop fast charger - Nekteck 72w 4 port USB-C charger

• 60W USB-C charging for Laptops
• 3x 12W USB-A charging

We chose the Nekteck 72W 4 Port USB-C Charger due to the sheer number of ports and power it can deliver. A singular USB-C PD port at the top gives you up to 60W charging for any compatible device, including your MacBook Pro, Nintendo Switch and Chromebook.

Three smart charging USB-A ports also allow you to charge multiple devices all at once. Do note that it is unable to wor with the HP Envy Series laptops.

If you are a tech-savvy person and carry many gadgets with you all the time, this would be a great buy.

Buy NekTeck 72W 4 Port USB-C Charger from Lazada here.

Best all-in-one charger - RAVPower 6 Port Desktop Charger

• 1x 24W USB-C PD Port
• 1x QuickCharge 3.0
• 2x iSmart 2.0
• 1x USB-A charge port
• 1x Storage, Media transfer port

A great example of what the future holds for USB-C, the RAVPower 6 Port Desktop Charger is more a hub than a charger. Need to charge your phone? Check. Need to charge your tablet? Check. Most importantly, it allows you to transfer and manage data via the RAVPower managing tool - Filehub.

You have up to 4TB of storage available and we think this charger earns a spot on the Hall of Fame of chargers as it auto-backup your phone's data every time it is plugged in for a charge. Perfect for those of you who don't back up your phone regularly and risk losing all the data.

All in all, this is an amazing powerhouse that works with your Nintendo Switch, Google Pixel, iPhone and many other USB-C compatible devices. Not to mention the ability to transfer data from your phone straight to another device frees up more space for you to snap some shots and videos!

Buy RAVPower 6 Port Desktop Charger from Lazada here.

This article was first published in Shopback.