We've all seen how phone manufacturers like to take one specification number out of context and then use that to persuade you to buy their devices. It used to be the number of megapixels, even though that's far from the most important thing in image quality. Then the number of cores in the SoC, even though the core architecture is more important and the scheduling makes a big difference (not to mention thermal limits). Then the screen size, even as curved edges and different aspect ratios made that difficult to compare meaningfully. And now the number of cameras is commonly used, though there are also hints of a reprise of the megapixel myth.
But one of the latest ones is the maximum power output of the charger. And this is just getting silly now, with Xiaomi just having a 120W phone charger certified in China! To put that into perspective, that's twice the output of my laptop's charger. Is this sensible? Will you need a new battery after 6 months of using this thing due to heat damage, or does it perhaps never actually output that much power, or only for a minute or so of a charging cycle? Is the charger compatible with any standard, or will it only be usable with a particular phone? I dunno, this just sounds like a marketing gimmick descending into silliness to me.
But one of the latest ones is the maximum power output of the charger. And this is just getting silly now, with Xiaomi just having a 120W phone charger certified in China! To put that into perspective, that's twice the output of my laptop's charger. Is this sensible? Will you need a new battery after 6 months of using this thing due to heat damage, or does it perhaps never actually output that much power, or only for a minute or so of a charging cycle? Is the charger compatible with any standard, or will it only be usable with a particular phone? I dunno, this just sounds like a marketing gimmick descending into silliness to me.
