All you want to know about Qualcomm QC4+ is here

Not long ago, the market broke the news about the latest phone list that pass Qualcomm QC4+ certified, with a total of 26 models. Many fans are surprised: there are already so many mobile that support QC4+ fast charging! It turns out that my phone is Qualcomm QC4+ certified!

What is Qualcomm QC4+ fast charge? What are the characteristics? What is the difference with other fast charging protocols? In order to solve many questions about QC4+, IETCHARGER has compiled this article containing common knowledge points of QC4+ fast charging for reference.

What is QC4+ fast charge?

Qualcomm’s QC4 charging technology launched in Nov, 2016 is compatible with the USB PD2.0 protocol for the first time, and the 12V voltage file has been cancelled, and the power has been increased to 28W. The standard 5V can output a maximum current of 5.6A, and 9V can output a maximum of 3A. The voltage range is subdivided into 20mV. It allows the terminal to charge from zero to 50% within 15 minutes, and has advanced technologies that extend battery life, enhance safety, and expand charging intelligence.

Later, Qualcomm continued to develop and further built QC4+, and released the latest QC4+ charger and QC4+ car charger at the 2017 Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit, which also marked the official replacement of QC4 fast charging technology by QC4+. After the hammer released Nut R1, Mi 8 and the latest Mi 9, all support the QC4+ fast charge protocol.

Qualcomm QC4+ charging protocol is compatible with the latest USB PD3.0 (PPS), and is backward compatible with USB PD2.0, QC3.0, QC2.0, BC1.2 and other protocols; and according to the introduction of Qualcomm engineers, mobile phones based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, 700, and 800 platforms can achieve QC4+ fast charging (whether it supports or not will be decided by the mobile manufacturer).

What is the relationship between QC4+ and USB PD?

USB Power Delivery is a fast charging specification developed by the USB-IF organization. USB PD increases power transmission through USB cables and connectors, expanding the power supply capability of the cable bus in USB applications. The specification can achieve higher voltage and current, the transmission power can reach up to 100 watts, and the direction of power transmission can be freely changed.

Programmable Power Supply is a type of Power Supply supported in USB PD3.0. It is a power supply that uses USB PD protocol output to achieve voltage and current regulation. The PPS specification integrates the current two charging modes of high voltage and low current, and low voltage and high current. The voltage amplitude modulation drop is also the first gear of 20mV, which is only one-tenth of the QC3.0 standard, and the adjustment is more precise.

The QC4+ fast charge protocol is a combination of the USB PD PPS protocol and the QC3.0/2.0 fast charge protocol. It is a multi-functional, multi-protocol fast charge technology. This point was revealed by George Paparrizos, senior director of Qualcomm Wireless Communication Technology (China) Co., Ltd. at the “Tail Forum 2017 Fast Charge Technology Standards and Application Seminar”.

In addition, the primary prerequisite for supporting USB PD and QC4+ is that both ends have the support of the USB-C interface and the power negotiation message based on the configuration channel in the USB-C interface.

What are the advantages of QC4+ fast charging?

Dual Charge: The ability of dual charge is further improved, which can disperse the charging current, achieve less heat generation and shorten the charging time.
Intelligent thermal balance: to further enhance the dual-channel charging, aiming to automatically charge through the lowest temperature line, avoid developing hot spots to optimize charging.
More advanced safety function: It can monitor the temperature level of the terminal shell and the connector at the same time. This extra protective layer helps prevent overheating, short circuit or damage to the Type-C connector.

What is the difference between QC4+ and QC4?

IETCHARGER consulted the PDF technical manual of Qualcomm Quick Charge4/4+, this table very intuitively shows the difference between QC4 and QC4+. Here you can see the difference through comparison:

The same points
(1) Quick Charge 4/4+ all support USB PD+PPS;
(2) Quick Charge 4/4+ all need to use USB-C interface;
(3) The charging power of Quick Charge4/4+ needs to be ≥18W.
The difference points
(1) Quick Charge4 does not support QC2.0, QC3.0;
(2) Quick Charge4+ supports QC2.0 and QC3.0.

In other words, Qualcomm QC4+ is on the basis of USB PD3.0 and PPS, adding compatibility support for QC3.0 and QC2.0.

Which mobile phones have passed QC4+ fast charge certification?

Recently, IETCHARGER obtained a list of the latest QC4+ certified mobile phones from Qualcomm, with 26 mobile phones on the list.
The 26 mobile phones include AMG 1, BQ Aquaris 2, Hisense 1, LG 4, Nubia 3, Qiku 1, Razer 2, Redmi 1, Hammer 1, Xiaomi 8 , ZTE 2 models, 8 new models have been added compared to the previous data. Among them, 18 models of mainland Chinese brands including AMG, Hisense, Nubia, Qiku, Redmi, Hammer, Xiaomi, ZTE and other brands have passed this certification, accounting for 69.23%.

What chips have passed QC4+ fast charge certification?

According to the latest data released by Qualcomm, a total of 13 chips have obtained QC4+ certification. They are Canyon Gengyuan CY2311, Canyon Gengyuan CY2312, Cypress Cypress CCCG3PA, Dialog iW657P, eEver EJ899, Fintek F75183, Fitipower FP6606, INJOINIC IP2726, Leadtrend Tongjia LD6610, NXP NXP TEA19051B, On-Bright OB2613, Weltrend WT6615F, Weltrend WT6633P.

It is worth mentioning that Injoinic IP2726 is the first Chinese chip to pass Qualcomm QC4+ certification and obtain the first Chinese chip QC4+ certification.

How to distinguish QC4+ charger?

QC4+ chargers come in two forms on the market currently: one is certified by Qualcomm, and the other is not certified by Qualcomm. Generally, products that have passed Qualcomm certification will have the “QC4+” logo printed on the charger box or on the surface of the body, which is easier to identify; however, products that have not passed Qualcomm certification are not allowed to be marked with the “QC4+” logo to avoid infringement.

For chargers that have not passed QC4+ certification, we can use the ChargerLAB POWER-Z tester to test. At the same time, we also need to be familiar with several features of the QC4+ charger: use USB-C interface, output power of 18W or above, support USB PD 3.0 PPS, compatible with QC3.0/2.0. If there is no sign, and the above points are met, it can be judged as a QC4+ fast charge charger.

For example, the USB-C charger in the picture, from the perspective of PDO messages, supports USB PD3.0 PPS fast charging and has a maximum output power of 27W.

At the same time, it also supports QC3.0 and QC2.0 charging protocols, meeting the definition of QC4+ charger, so this is a QC4+ charger.

I believe that after reading this article, everyone should have a deeper understanding of Qualcomm QC4+ fast charging. At the same time, IETCHARGER will also pay close attention to QC4+. We will share some of the latest knowledge points about QC4+ with you in the first time.