Apple deserves credit for adding 15W wireless charging in the form of a new MagSafe charger for the iPhone 12 In China, however, one phone maker has announced a wireless charger that more than quadruples that speed

Xiaomi's Weibo page proudly reveals its new 80W wireless charging technology This is enough power to charge a 4,000 mAh battery to 50% in just 19 minutes, or just 8 minutes

A time-lapse video shows this technology in action on a special Mi 10 Pro that charges on a stand

Xiaomi already offers 50W wireless charging with the Mi 10 Ultra, one of its China-only devices, but 80W again surpasses that and is well ahead of other smartphone manufacturers' wireless charging capabilities

Essentially all wireless charging-enabled phones can charge at up to 10W thanks to the universal Qi charging standard, but proprietary chargers are more than that For example, the iPhone 12 series can charge up to 15W and the OnePlus 8 Pro up to 30W; Xiaomi's 80W charging even beats the OnePlus 8T's wired 65W charging, which is crazy expensive by comparison

The problem with faster charging speeds is that the battery generates heat in the process; OnePlus avoids this problem by incorporating a fan in the charging stand and splitting the 8T's battery in two to charge simultaneously at a lower wattage Xiaomi is expected to utilize at least one of these methods to prevent extra drain on the phone

Xiaomi has already launched both the Mi 10 and Mi 10T this year, so it will likely be next year before this technology actually makes it into phones It will be interesting to see how other companies respond by increasing charging speeds, but we expect to see more focus on wired charging speeds, as wired charging is still the most common charging method in the US and UK