While wireless charging has become a staple of the modern smartphone experience, OnePlus has long argued it isn’t necessary because of the advanced speeds provided by its wired solution.
However, with the OnePlus 8 Pro around the corner, it has been rumoured the Chinese firm might finally be ready to ditch the need for a USB-C cable in order to replenish the handset’s battery.
Now, a very cryptic tweet published by prolific Twitter leaker Max J. (@Samsung_News_) has onlookers wondering whether the time has finally come for the firm to embrace wireless charging.
The tweet features the caption “Charge like a pro”, while an image below shows a handset with a full battery sitting on a wireless charging pad. Max J. doesn’t reveal the identity of the phone, and says it is a “concept for illustration purpose only.”
Charge like a pro. pic.twitter.com/Fqnkpsa0mT
— Max J. (@Samsung_News_) January 21, 2020
However, that hasn’t stopped others in the thread wading in, calming the tweet is confirmation the OnePlus 8 Pro will offer wireless charging.
We’re far from convinced. Around a year ago, prior to the launch of the OnePlus 7 smartphone, the company’s CEO Pete Lau said the addition of wireless charging wouldn’t be worth it. “OnePlus charging is one of the best. Wireless charging is far inferior,” Lau told CNET.
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OnePlus’s proprietary Warp Charge fast charging tech was boosted further on the OnePlus 7T range of smartphones. The Warp Charge 30T is 23% faster than the previous iteration and charges the handset from 0-70% in just half an hour.
The company says it also enables users to continue charging their devices while gaming, remaining cool and particularly fast even when playing intense games. It also says intelligent wired charging keeps the thermal dissipation within the adapter, rather than heating up your phone.
In a more recent interview on The Vergecast, Lau reiterated that the firm’s wired charging tech is too awesome to allow wireless charging a seat at the table in its current 10W form.
He said: “What we’ve been focused on is bringing fast wireless charging and that fast charging experience to wireless. The issue to overcome though is the heat in that process, so that’s very much what we’ve been focused on — trying to create a solution for. I’ve tried 10W charging for wireless and I can’t get used to it. I feel like it’s too slow and it’s just not worth it compared to plugging it in to Warp Charge and that fast charging experience.”
Given those comments were only made this month, it seems unlikely OnePlus is going to swallow its pride and include wireless charging on the OnePlus 8 Pro, due out this spring. Unless the company has developed a super-fast wireless charging solution and is saving up the surprise, of course…
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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.
