What is SuperVOOC charging?

Oppo’s SuperVOOC charging technology, also available for OnePlus and Realme devices, stands as one of the fastest charging technologies currently available to mainstream smartphones. SuperVOOC or Super VOltage Open loop multi-step Constant-current charging – yes, that is quite the mouthful – allows you to charge a compatible phone at up to 240W. With this power output, your phone can go from no charge to full charge in under 10 minutes. This isn’t just fast-charging, it’s basically magic! 

How a battery works

A lithium-ion battery, the kind found in your smartphone, stores energy chemically. When charging or discharging the phone, a chemical reaction takes place inside the battery and electrons are moved from one terminal to the other at a rate that depends on the voltage and current across the positive and negative terminals. This is an exothermic process; i.e. it generates heat. 

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Normally, applying too high a voltage across the terminals causes the battery to heat up too much, potentially risking damage to the battery, your device, and even increasing the likelihood of a fire in extreme circumstances. Various standardised charging standards like USB PD (USB Power Delivery) define how much power and what voltage and current is delivered to your phone or other electronic devices. 

Proprietary charging standards like SuperVOOC address this issue with unique engineering solutions, allowing you to charge your phone much faster than you would expect. 

How SuperVOOC is different

While most phones charge at about 20-30W, the fast SuperVOOC chargers allow compatible phones to charge at speeds ranging from 33W, all the way to a whopping 240W! And yes, that’s more power going into your phone than what goes into most laptops. Do note that most phones, even SuperVOOC ones, don’t charge at 240W, with 80-100W being the norm for high-speed charging via SuperVOOC. 

Now, one of the biggest downsides to high-speed charging at high power is that the battery’s life is depleted very quickly. A lithium-ion battery can hold a full charge for only a certain number of charge and discharge cycles, and that capacity to hold energy decreases with time, frequency of charge and discharge, and the power that you’re using to charge it. 

To put it another way, an average smartphone battery charging via a 20-30W charger is expected to lose about 20% of its maximum capacity in two years. SuperVOOC-compatible phones, despite charging at 3-4 times the speed, are expected to lose 20% of their capacity over four years, doubling their life span while quadrupling the charging speed! 

Oppo, the creator of SuperVOOC, employs various techniques to make this possible. The phones that charge at the fastest speeds for example, use dual batteries. A 100W charger might charge each battery at 50W, giving you an effective charging speed of 100W while limiting long-term damage to the battery. 

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SuperVOOC chargers also tend to include most of the battery and charging management tech in the charger itself, preventing some heat from the charging process from affecting the battery and improving longevity.  

Do note that because of the amount of power that is delivered to your phone, you’re expected to use only a SuperVOOC-compatible cable. This is an important safety feature as not all cables can handle the same amount of power. 

SuperVOOC is one of the most interesting charging technologies around, and it boasts of impressive charging speeds. If you’ve got a compatible phone, it’s most certainly worth investing in a compatible SuperVOOC charger and cable to take advantage of those blistering fast charging speeds.