The new technology will allow your phone to fully charge in just nine minutes – and it might be available on your devices by summer.
It will also help companies design smaller, thinner phones following devices bloat in size to fit giant batteries.
The new technology, which enables fast charging without damaging batteries, was showcased at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week.
It comes from Chinese phone maker Oppo, which is the world’s fourth largest company and is growing rapidly in the UK with its OnePlus, Realme and Vivo sub-brands.
Experts say Apple and Samsung are already working to replicate the exploit, as fast charging and long battery life are a key selling point for mobile devices.
Stuart Miles, founder of tech website Pocket-Lint.co.uk, told MailOnline: ‘Battery life is really important for many users, but efficiency improvements are slower than most. of us wouldn’t.
“So the companies say if you can’t make it last longer, let’s make it charge faster.
“Oppo’s new technology takes just nine minutes – less than it takes to shower and brush your teeth in the morning – to have a full charge.”
Mr Miles believes the new technology will help make batteries smaller, allowing for thinner and lighter phones.
He said the iPhone has gotten heavier and heavier over the years due to its growing battery size.
“Super-fast charging like this means smaller batteries – following all, if you can fill them up in minutes, you don’t need a giant one,” he explained.
“Of course a lot of people want a big screen and so phones have to be big to accommodate that, but they don’t have to be so thick and heavy.”
At Mobile World Congress last week, Oppo demonstrated its SuperVooc charging technology using 240 watts of power, with a video showing a 4,500 mAh battery going from 1% to 100% in nine minutes.
A 150 watt version will charge a phone in 15 minutes.
Most phones, including iPhones and Samsungs, can only draw 10 to 30 watts because too much power can cause batteries to overheat and damage devices.
Samsung had to recall millions of phones in 2016 due to overheating batteries – some even caught fire following getting too hot.
Oppo’s new technology has been in development since 2014.
Neil Monger, Product Manager for Oppo UK, said: “It’s not just regarding speed, it’s also regarding doing it in a safe way for our customers.
“For example, if you simply try to put more power into a battery without the proper safeguards, it can damage the battery in the longer term and degrade it faster over time. We test and test to avoid this.
He says newer versions of SuperVooc have 13 temperature sensors installed in the phone to monitor the charging status in real time, reducing the chances of overheating.
“If someone keeps a phone for two or three years, they need to know that the battery will last. A good battery will retain 80% of its capacity following 800 charges. Ours do it following 1,600,” he added.
