The HTC 10 and LG G5 combine Quick Charge 3.0 charging and the USB-C connector, allowing them to be charged rapidly using a reversible plug. That sounds better than supporting just one of the standards — like the USB-C Nexus 6P or QC 3.0 Galaxy S7 — but a Google engineer doesn’t see it that way.
Googler Benson Leung wrote back in November that any USB-C charger that also uses Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 standard is breaking the USB-C specification. Leung made his name for testing early USB-C cables and chargers for compliance to the USB spec, even sacrificing his own laptop to a badly designed cable, so the statement has some weight behind it.
Given the recent release of the LG G5 and HTC 10, two mainstream phones that combine USB-C and Quick Charge 3.0 as Leung describes, Qualcomm felt the need to clear the air with their own statement regarding the combo, which it unsurprisingly describes as safe:
Qualcomm Quick Charge is designed to be connector-independent. It can be implemented in a device that supports a variety of connectors, including USB Type-A, USB micro, USB Type-C, and others. When an OEM chooses to implement Quick Charge into their device, they can configure the voltage to fit within the specifications of the USB Type-C standard. We have received no reports of user experience or device malfunction issues with or without USB Type-C connectors.
Unless we see reports of injuries or damage as a result of Quick Charge 3.0 being used over a USB-C connection, it’s unlikely that we’ll see any further discussion of this issue. While Qualcomm is being called upon to switch to Power Delivery, a quick charging standard that is part of the USB specification, it seems unlikely that they’ll abandon one of their platform’s traditional strengths any time soon.
What do you think — are you bothered by the prospect of USB-C and Quick Charge 3.0 falling outside of the USB 3.1 specification, or are you happy as long as it works as described? Let us know in the comments.
It’s been debunked by Qualcomm, HTC and LG, the man’s just got his facts wrong I’m afraid.
Though don’t use shoddy eBay bought chargers of course, you’re taking your phone and possibly even your own life in your hands if you do.