Battery charging: Not usually an exciting topic, but here’s some charging news that could give things a boost (!). Realme has just unveiled its new SuperSonic Charge, which, with an incredible 320 watts, is capable of fully charging (1-100%) a 4,420 mAh phone battery in just 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Charging to 50% takes less than two minutes, while a 26% charge can be achieved in just one minute.

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Phone makers have been steadily increasing charging speeds for several years. Realme itself has worked its way up from 65W fast charging in 2021 with the X7 Pro to 150W and 240W charging in 2022 and 2023 respectively. You might think that would be fast enough, but with arch-rival Xiaomi boasting 300W charging speeds for its Redmi brand, Realme couldn’t give up on the competition.

Increasing charging speed isn’t just about increasing the charger’s wattage and hoping for the best. To achieve such incredible charging rates, Realme has developed a special battery design that includes multiple cells that can be charged simultaneously, reducing charging time. To pack multiple cells into a super-slim overall profile required for a slim smartphone, Realme has apparently taken inspiration from the folded solar panels used on satellites and folded four super-thin cells into a stack to form the entire battery module.

The design is said to offer 10% higher capacity relative to its physical size than traditional form factors. Realme’s SuperSonic Charge charger is also something special. Dubbed the “Pocket Cannon,” it has a high power density of 3.3 watts per cubic centimeter (up from 2.34 watts per cubic centimeter for Realme’s previous 240W charger) and is advertised as having 93% charging efficiency. The charger is compatible with multiple fast charging standards and can be used to charge two USB-C devices simultaneously.

Of course, with ever faster charging speeds come the usual questions about whether battery life will be worse in the long run. The general wisdom is that slow charging is more gentle on the battery than fast charging, while regularly fast charging a battery from almost completely depleted to completely full puts extra stress on lithium batteries. However, my impression is that for most consumers, the consideration of long battery life probably takes a long back seat to the convenience of fast charging. And should a phone’s battery capacity noticeably degrade after a year or two due to frequent fast charging, it’s simply time to throw the phone away and upgrade.