Product test
LG V20 – The beast from the east
by Dominik Bärlocher
When Quick Charge is no longer quick charged
6.3.2017
Translation: machine translated
As an expert in smartphones and other smart devices, I'm good at fixing problems with devices. Except when it's not me. And if it's not me, then it's really not me. Because when I fail, I really fail. Here's a story about my forgetting the first rule of tech support and some interesting facts about Quick Charge.
I rarely get the opportunity to test a smartphone for any length of time. By longer, I mean a period of time that allows the device to have quirks and produce any failures or generally fail somewhere. But when I am confronted with this opportunity, I take it. I've been testing the LG V20 since December. But the time is coming when I'll have to give it back, because after the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, there will soon be a hail of new test devices.
I am therefore pleased that the LG V20 had a roof defect exactly once. It started right after the MWC. I didn't notice it at first because I usually charge my mobile overnight and don't stare at the screen all the time. But when I travelled from Zurich to Bern last Saturday, I noticed that Quick Charge was no longer working. The LG V20 did recharge slowly, but there was no question of "one per cent per minute".
The search for clues began.
What is Quick Charge actually?
The first steps lead me to superficial information about the technology.
Quick Charge (version 3.0 on the LG V20) describes a technology that essentially only does one thing: it recharges your mobile particularly quickly. This technology was invented by the manufacturer Qualcomm, which produces the Snapdragon processors for mobile phones, among other things. The Snapdragons are capable of allowing more current to flow into the battery than the normal USB rate. Quick Charge 3.0 is therefore one of a handful of technologies that go beyond the normal voltage of 5 volts and 2 amps. Others are:
- Mediatek Pump Express
- OnePlus Dash Charge
- Motorola TurboPower
- ...
Quick Charge 3.0 was introduced in 2015, works with up to 12 volts and 2 amps, is compatible with around a dozen Snapdragons and is around four times faster than normal charging with a USB cable. To achieve this performance, both the phone and the cable and adapter must be able to support this power. Version 4.0 has already been announced for the Snapdragon 835. The processor will be installed for the first time in the Samsung Galaxy S8, which will be presented to the public on 29 March. However, the technical specifications of the processor are still unknown, as is the performance of the new Quick Charge technology.
This doesn't help me either, but I suspect that Quick Charge has a hardware and a software component. And there is something wrong with one of the two components in my V20. Since I still have battery power, so my mobile is still running, I think the hardware component is still working fine, but the software has some damage.
And this is where I get extremely stupid. Anyone who understands even the slightest bit about tech support knows what I should do now. But let me make it clear right now: I didn't do exactly that. Because my brain is probably always on break on Saturdays or something.
My mistake
My assumption about "the software crashed" turned out to be true in hindsight. Instead of fixing the whole exercise in a little less than a minute, I decided I should take a look at my phone's settings.
Maybe Quick Charge is something I can switch on and off.
It's not.
Maybe there's dust in my plug.
No.
Maybe someone else has already had my problem.
Yes, but no one has had my exact problem. Stupid.
The googling continues. After about two hours of fruitless searching, it dawns on me.
«Have you tried switching it off and on again?»
I immediately feel really stupid. Because whatever happens on the software side, it happens in the background. This means that when the system is started, a process is started in the background that controls the entire Quick Charge functionality. I don't even need to know exactly what is happening or what is being controlled and how. The following facts alone are enough:
- It is a process that runs in the background
- It is started automatically
And lo and behold, after a restart, Quick Charge works again. What do we learn from this? Roy from "The IT Crowd" is still right. Restarting it, no matter what "it" is in the context of technology, helps.
So, that's it. Lesson learnt. I'm off to feel a little ashamed. And you guys, if you don't know "The IT Crowd", watch the English original. Nobody can stand the US remake. And always remember: Have you tried turning it off and on again?
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
Smartphone
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
5 comments
later