Not too long ago, we used Samsung's 45W fast charger on the Galaxy S22 Ultra and determined that it offers no tangible gains against using a 25W brick. But, that was a previous-generation model, so, to level the playing field, we tried it again with the shiny new 45W brick Samsung sells on its store and found it to be no different.
Samsung's claims about the Galaxy S22 Ultra supporting 45W fast charging are borderline misleading
It was also observed that despite being rated for 45W, the charger barely drew more than 30W of power for most of the test's duration. We have to bear in mind that the inclusion of the USB Type-C measuring device may have muddied the waters a little, but the time it took to top up the phone completely was more or less the same, so its effect was minimal.
Samsung's shiny new 45W power brick managed to draw a maximum of 40W, but only for a brief time period when the battery was practically empty. The test shows that the charger wasn't running anywhere close to its rated capacity for most of the duration, and one can't help but wonder why.
It is infuriating that Samsung is lying about how fast one can charge its devices, especially after the numerous PR debacles it suffered of late. While it isn't as bad as batteries exploding, Samsung's reputation has undoubtedly taken a hit to the point where investors want to hold the company's CEO accountable.
That said, the fast-charging race is pointless and Samsung's better off not participating in it
However, it is a good thing that Samsung isn't following the industry trend of upping numbers for the sake of it. Chinese OEMs, in particular, are scrambling to make 120W fast charging the new “standard”, but that comes at the expense of battery health. It is refreshing to see Samsung prioritise device longevity in an era when planned obsolescence is the norm.
Longer battery life, plus four years of software updates ensure that one can hold on to their Samsung device for longer than ever. That is one of the key reasons iPhones sell so well, and Apple isn't a huge fan of stupidly fast charging speeds for that reason. Samsung's narrative around its battery tech is a mess and the company would do well to clear the air a little.
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