Skip to main content

Meet the Android phone that charges from 0 to 100% battery in under 10 minutes

How’s this for a statistic? Realme says it will take 80 seconds to charge the battery in the forthcoming Realme GT3 phone from 0% to 20%, and just under 10 minutes for it to reach 100%.

This is due to the phone’s new 240W fast charging system, and it’s the most powerful, fastest way to charge a smartphone’s battery we’ve seen yet. Realme also claims it won’t be beaten for a while, as its system maxes out the recharging ability of a USB Type-C connection.

How Realme made 240W charging a reality

People holding the Realme GT3 smartphone.

How does it work? The 240W charger uses dual GaN technology and has three dedicated chipsets to manage the charging process, plus a special 12A charging cable. The system has 60% more power than other chargers, yet the block is no larger than a 150W adapter. The GT3’s battery has a fairly modest 4,600mAh capacity, which definitely helps the charger reach these headline figures.

Realme has extensively tested the battery and says it’ll still deliver 80% of its ability after 1,600 charging cycles, even at this power. It also engineered 13 temperature sensors, a large vapor chamber system, and more safety measures into the phone. Other power management tools mean the phone switches between modes based on use, to keep the battery healthy over time too.

Glowing lights on the back too

The back of the Realme GT3 phone, in black and white colors.

While the charging technology is interesting, when you look at the photos of the phone, something else catches your eye. On the back, inside the camera module, is a glowing light. Realme calls this C-shaped ring the Pulse Interface Design, and it shows the phone’s status when charging, when a call comes in, as a notification alert, and even as a countdown when taking a photo. The RGB lighting system supports 25 different colors and five different speeds.

Look more closely, and the lighting ring surrounds a clear window into the phone, which apparently shows a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset sticker and the NFC chip. Realme says it has taken inspiration from gaming phones, such as the Asus ROG Phone 6, but fails to mention the biggest influence in smartphone lighting recently, the Nothing Phone 1.

Announced for MWC 2023, Realme has not revealed much more about the Realme GT3 yet. We don’t know anything about the camera, for example, or the exact Snapdragon chip that will power the phone. We do know it will come with either 8GB, 12GB, or 16GB of RAM, matched to 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or even 1TB of internal storage space. The cheapest model will cost $649, but despite giving the price in U.S. dollars, it’s unlikely the Realme GT3 will be released in the U.S.

Anyone unable to buy Realme’s GT3 who is looking for the fastest charging smartphone should turn their attention to the excellent OnePlus 11.

Editors' Recommendations

The new Honor Magic 5 Pro smartphone has a truly unusual design
The Honor Magic5 Pro in Meadow Green.

The Magic is back at Honor, with not one but two new Magic-branded smartphones being revealed during MWC 2023. The Honor Magic 5 Pro joins the Honor Magic Vs folding smartphone and is the company’s latest “normal” non-folding flagship.

Like many Honor phones over the years, it’s all about the camera and an unusual design.

Read more
Xiaomi’s latest smartwatch puts the Pixel Watch to shame in a big way
The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro worn on a person's wrist.

The world of smartwatches has finally caught up with traditional watchmakers (and Apple) and has discovered that making something that goes on our wrists out of quality materials is the way forward.

The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro — announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 — has a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal over the screen, and a soft leather strap. All that makes it far more desirable than ones made out of “lesser” materials. I’ve worn it to find out more.
The Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro's elevated design

Read more
A new Android phone with a crazy camera might crush the Galaxy S23
The Xiaomi 13 Pro held in a person's hand.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro will be the brand's first phone with a Leica-tuned camera to launch internationally — after it decided to keep the Xiaomi 12S Ultra for China only. Xiaomi and Leica teamed up last year after the famed camera maker parted ways with longtime collaborator Huawei, and that means there are big boots to fill.

More than that, the technical specification and design have to be strong enough to take on the excellent Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, its biggest current rival, or the very similar OnePlus 11. We've used the phone for a few days prior to its announcement at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 to see if it has the strength to crush the competition. Is the Xiaomi 13 Pro up to the task, or will the price scupper its chances?
Xiaomi 13 Pro: powerful specifications

Read more