OPPO tones down SuperVOOC fast charging (and is finest for it)

SuperVOOC was as quickly as one in every of many quickest charging decisions throughout the smartphone space, nevertheless having fun with spherical with the latest iteration throughout the new OPPO Uncover X8 Skilled feels comparatively gradual. The flagship takes 50 minutes to replenish from an 80W SuperVOOC charger (why is it USB-A, OPPO, why?), which feels positively sluggish compared with the roughly 27 minutes I clocked on ultimate yr’s OPPO Uncover X7 Extraordinarily, the OnePlus 12, and even the marginally older Uncover X6 Skilled. What presents?

Successfully, these beforehand super-fast situations received right here with one notable compromise — bigger temperatures. Closing yr’s Uncover X7 Extraordinarily hit highs of 38.4°C whereas the marginally smaller X8 Skilled hit merely 35.7°C. That won’t appear to be an unlimited distinction, nevertheless inching ever nearer to (or previous) 40°C is exponentially worse for long-term battery nicely being. Staying throughout the mid-30s earns a secure thumbs up. The draw back for the Uncover X8 Skilled is that it barely touches its peak potential charging vitality, spending solely a minute at 70W sooner than falling and sticking principally correctly beneath 40W — a way more mainstream vitality diploma.

By the best way, this alteration moreover makes the Uncover X8 Skilled loads cooler than the Google Pixel 9 Skilled XL’s controversial 37W and Samsung Galaxy S24 Extraordinarily’s 45W charging, which clock in with temperature highs of 41.8°C and 39.2°C, respectively (though frequent temperatures are all pretty associated). Moreover they every take longer to value at 77 and 62 minutes each, although key situations to 50% and 75% battery capacities are inside minutes of each other and the Uncover X8 Skilled.

Whereas the latest iteration of SuperVOOC might appear to be a downgrade in some regards, it’s nonetheless sooner to full and cooler than the mainstream Western producers, so OPPO nonetheless claims a win proper right here. Paired with ColorOS 15’s completely different battery decisions that embody Good Charging previous 80%, which works very equally to Google’s Adaptive Charging, and an 80% value prohibit toggle, it’s clear that long-term battery nicely being is taking a entrance seat overcharging as quickly as potential — a genuinely consumer-friendly switch.

Sadly, do you have to nonetheless prolonged for blazing-fast charging irrespective of temperature, OPPO doesn’t really have you ever ever lined, a minimal of not in my testing. The Uncover X8 Skilled supplies a “Good Speedy Charging” alternative, which it claims charges sooner on the expense of higher temperatures, nevertheless this nonetheless doesn’t convey the cellphone once more in line with earlier variations (though it claimed it saved me 11 minutes on a single value). With this mode enabled, the Uncover X8 Skilled hit full in a barely sooner 48 minutes, nevertheless the vitality profile is the same, so I’d chalk that distinction as a lot as a margin of error. Peak temperatures clocked in at an almost unchanged 36.1°C, so I’m not exactly sure beneath what circumstances this mode triggers a particular conduct or if it’s even working as meant.

I examined using official SuperVOOC 80W and 100W plugs, and it’s pretty cool throughout the UK this time of yr nevertheless I had no luck sustaining peak vitality for longer. Perhaps the default mode will throttle once more on value further aggressively in hotter circumstances, nevertheless that will suggest a roughly 50-minute value time is as fast as this cellphone can go. Additional annoying is that the 5A cables that received right here with the Uncover X7 Extraordinarily and X6 Skilled restricted the machine to easily 3A/25W no matter working great on completely different OPPO telephones. Bizarre.

Whatever the value time downgrade and cable nonsense, I really suppose OPPO’s SuperVOOC throughout the Uncover X8 Skilled is the perfect mannequin I’ve used. Charging to full in beneath half-hour is a nice luxurious nevertheless hardly obligatory outdoor of very unusual occasions. With the power to hit 75% value in beneath 35 minutes and full in spherical 50 is loads quick adequate, significantly when paired with the cellphone’s rock-solid battery life. Nevertheless further on that one other time.

Whereas it’s potential OPPO is using a cheaper battery on this yr’s model, which it doesn’t have to stress too exhausting, cooler temperatures lastly assure longer-term battery nicely being and fewer costly {{hardware}} replacements. Plus, the X8 Skilled stays cooler and prior to many alternative flagships within the market, considerably these from Apple, Google, and Samsung. I moreover managed to protected USB Power Provide PPS at 25W on this handset, which acquired’t value the cellphone all that quickly nevertheless permits first fee fast-charge situations with the extensive number of third-party plugs and tools available on the market.  Some sources counsel the cellphone can exceed 40W with USB PD, nevertheless I couldn’t accomplish that no matter using a 6A cable and charger with assist for 5A over PD and PPS.

Whole, OPPO has accomplished a fairly secure job proper right here, nevertheless there are some cable niggles owing to its proprietary commonplace and the silly choice to marry itself to USB-A. I’d nonetheless need 60W+ USB PD, as found on telephones similar to the ASUS ROG Phone 9, nevertheless a cooler technique to SuperVOOC is a superb switch as correctly. Nonetheless, followers of SuperVOOC fast charging will undoubtedly be dissatisfied by the loads slower value situations. Maybe OPPO is saving its blazing-fast capabilities for China’s Uncover X8 Extraordinarily.