Dash Charge: What is the new charging technology for the OnePlus 3?
OnePlus has launched its latest flagship phone, the OnePlus 3, and it’s a classy piece of kit for a very reasonable price. One of its stand-out features is Dash Charge, which promises to provide you with extremely speedy charge times.
But what exactly is Dash Charge? Let’s take a closer look.
OnePlus refuses to settle
Dash Charge is a new quick-charge technology from OnePlus. It promises to provide 63% of a full charge in just 30 minutes of charging.
That’s fast, but it’s not really any faster than rival efforts like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0, which claims to be able to manage 80% in 35 minutes.
Buy Now: Dash Charger at Amazon.co.uk from £12.99 | Amazon.com from $14
Related: OnePlus 3 vs OnePlus 2
OnePlus could quite easily have gone with Qualcomm’s standard. After all, the OnePlus 3 runs on the Snapdragon 820 CPU. That’s the same chip that powers the HTC 10 and the LG G5, both of which support Quick Charge 3.0.
However, the OnePlus motto is ‘Never Settle,’ and Dash Charge has other benefits.
What benefits?
Dash Charge goes about its business slightly differently to some other quick charging systems. Like Quick Charge 3.0, it produces a larger electrical current (this time 5V/4A for 20W) rather than increasing the pressure, which results in a more stable and consistent charge.
This means that the charging process remains fast whilst you’re using your phone – even if it’s for high-intensity tasks like gaming.
Related: What is Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0?
The heat is off
The other advantage to Dash Charge is that it removes the kind of alarming heat build-up we’ve seen before in quick charging standards.
One of the ways in which it does this is by moving all the heat management and dissipation process to the charger, rather than leaving it to the phone to handle as other quick charging standards tend to do.
But you’ll need special gear
To take advantage of Dash Charge, you’ll need a special charger – the official OnePlus Dash Charge Adapter that comes bundled with the OnePlus 3. Without that, you’re out of luck, as OnePlus isn’t opening its technology out to third-party manufacturers.
You’ll also need a bespoke cable to use Dash Charge, one that’s thicker so it can squeeze through those extra amps.
Make sure you don’t lose either accessory, though, as a new OnePlus Dash Charge Adapter costs £15.99, while the Dash Charge Type-C Cable will set you back £12.99.
Buy Now: Dash Charger cable at Amazon.co.uk from £9.99 | Amazon.com from $8.99
Related: OnePlus 3 vs Galaxy S7
How did OnePlus come up with Dash Charge?
OnePlus is a relatively small startup manufacturer, so you might be surprised that it has the time and resources to come up with its own quick charging standard.
That’s because it didn’t. Rather, it turned to unofficial parent company Oppo for help.
Oppo has its own quick charging technology called VOOC, which you’ll find in the likes of the Oppo R9 and the Oppo F1 Plus. Dash Charge is essentially a licensed version of that, but with OnePlus’s own name attached.
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Let us know what you think of OnePlus’ new charging standard in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
