There’s nothing more frustrating than realizing your phone is about to die just as you’re about to leave the house.
But that inconvenience could soon be a thing of the past as smartphone maker Realme reveals a charger that can charge your smartphone in just five minutes.
The Chinese tech maker’s new SuperSonic charging technology can charge a phone with up to 320W of power — that’s 16 times more than a standard iPhone charger.
At an event this week, the company demonstrated how it could charge a 4,420mAh battery in four minutes and 30 seconds.
Unfortunately, Realme has yet to release a smartphone that can handle that much power, so it may take some time before you can fully charge your phone while making a cup of tea.
Waiting for your phone to charge may be a thing of the past as Chinese tech firm Realme reveals a charger that can juice up your smartphone in just five minutes
The company showcased its latest advancements in fast-evolving technology at Realme’s 828 Fanfest event in Shenzhen.
After being connected to the power supply for just one minute, the smartphone reached 26 percent charge and in less than two minutes it reached 50 percent.
For a smartphone with a battery just slightly smaller than the new Pixel 9’s, that means going from a dead battery to a full charge in less than five minutes.
This impressive feat is made possible by significant improvements to both the charger and the battery itself.
Earlier last year, Realme set the record for the fastest charging smartphone with the GT Neo 5, which could be charged in nine and a half minutes thanks to a 240W charger.
The company’s latest ‘Pocket Cannon’ power adapter can deliver a maximum of 320W of power to a compatible device.
At Realme’s 828 Fanfest event in Shenzhen, the company demonstrated how it could charge a phone from 1 percent to 100 percent in four and a half minutes.
SuperSonic Charge technology uses a power adapter that delivers 320W (pictured) — that’s 16 times more power than a standard iPhone charger.
The charger features two USB-C ports that can also be used to deliver 150W to Realme smartphones and 65W to devices like laptops.
For comparison, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus can only reliably charge at a maximum of 20W, which provides a 50 percent charge in about half an hour.
Realme claims that it is able to prevent battery burnout thanks to the ‘AirGap’ voltage transformer that ensures that the current reaches the phone at just 20 volts.
According to Realme, this uses a technology called “contactless electromagnetic conversion” to ensure the power supply can charge with 93 percent energy efficiency.
The other key innovation is Realme’s new battery, which uses four separate cells, each of which can be charged simultaneously.
Manufacturers like Apple and Samsung typically opt for single-cell batteries because they offer more energy storage in a compact space.
The “Pocket Cannon” charger is paired with a new battery design that significantly reduces charging speed. Pictured: Tech fans gather to take photos of the new charger and battery
However, despite using multiple cells, Realme still claims to offer a larger battery than the iPhone 15’s 3,349mAh storage.
According to a promotional video shared by the company, this is thanks to a folded battery design inspired by satellite solar panels.
A company spokesperson said: ‘First, we ingeniously miniaturized each battery cell into layered structures to maximize space utilization and achieve higher capacity.
‘Secondly, we bend four battery cells into the shape of satellite panels and connect them with a flexible charging plate.’
The resulting battery is also flexible, meaning it could potentially be used in a future foldable smartphone design.
Realme says its battery uses four battery cells that can charge simultaneously for faster charging times and higher capacity.
With a capacity of 4,420mAh, Realme’s new battery has a similar charge size to the new Google Pixel 9 (pictured), but can charge in just a fraction of the time.
After setting the record for the fastest charging smartphone early last year, Realme’s record was soon surpassed by Redmi, another Chinese phone maker.
Less than a month after Realme set the record, Redmi, which is a subsidiary of Xiaomi, announced that it had developed a 300W charger.
In demonstrations, Xiaomi’s new technology was able to charge a 4,100 mAh battery in about five minutes.
However, neither Xioami nor Realme have yet launched phones that feature these new battery designs.
A Realme spokesperson told MailOnline they had “no official information” on whether this would be used in any new devices.
Realme also hasn’t given any hints as to when the technology might be rolled out more widely, so it could be a long wait until the five-minute charge is commercially available.