Charge Test: OnePlus 3T's Dash Charge vs Pixel XL’s USB-C Fast Charging
bySid Goswami-
0
Yesterday, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 3T, an updated version of the OnePlus 3. It brings a new processor, extra storage, a new color variant, and a handful of other improvements. One of those was a larger battery. The larger 3,400 mAh battery adds a little more juice to the phone.
Like the first OnePlus 3, the 3T brings OnePlus’ Dash Charge technology for charging up the battery super quick. On the OnePlus 3T, it actually charges the phone up just as quickly as on the OnePlus 3, that’s to say a 60% charge in just 30 minutes or so. In the past, OnePlus has put Dash Charge up against its competition to show just how quick it is ─ the Galaxy S7 and Quick Charge 2.0 come to mind. Here’s some important background information to note before we jump into the results:
The OnePlus 3T sports a 3,400mAh battery, while the Pixel XL is just above that at 3,450mAh
They both charge over USB-C.
DashCharge is a renamed version of Oppo’s VOOC charging technology, which allows faster charging throughout the early stages of the charging cycle (even if you’re playing video games) due to it using higher amperage vs higher voltage.
In the video below, the two phones go head-to-head starting out at just 1% battery, charging with the screens off. At 30 minutes, the OnePlus 3T takes a slight lead, charging up to 56% capacity where the Pixel XL is at 49%, but as time goes on that gap increases. By the time an hour passes, the OnePlus 3T is at 92% capacity where the Pixel XL lags behind at 70%. The OnePlus 3T finishes up after about 1.5 hours of charging where the XL finishes up at 2 hours.
Is this a giant difference in real life? Not really. Both devices will get you from a low capacity to half your battery in about the same amount of time, though. The interesting question is if OnePlus will be able to keep its charging advantage. Dash Charge is a proprietary technology where USB-C PD is a universal standard. As revealed earlier this month, Google may enforce using PD fast charging in future versions of Android, so OnePlus might not be able to use Dash Charge too much longer. The OnePlus 3T will be available November 22nd.
