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MediaTek launches Pump Express 3.0: faster, cooler, safer charging

MediaTek Pump Express 3.0 brings faster charging and lower heat emission to devices equipped with Helio P20 processors.
By
May 30, 2016

There’s a bevy of quick charging solutions out there, including some that you may be less familiar with, like HUAWEI SmartPower or MediaTek Pump Express. The latter has just received a major update bringing faster charging and lower heat emission to devices equipped with MediaTek Helio P20 processors.

MediaTek claims the new Pump Express 3.0 is the most efficient charging solution on the market. According to the Taiwanese company, PE 3.0 devices can charge up to 70 percent of their capacity in just 20 minutes. That’s much faster than competing solutions, but we have to note that MediaTek did not reveal details about its test setup or the battery capacity of the test devices.

Pump Express 3.0 is said to be the first charging solution that uses direct charging through the Type-C USB Power Delivery standard. The solution bypasses the circuitry that other charging systems use and sends power straight to the battery. That greatly reduces power dissipation – MediaTek claims a 50 percent improvement of this metric, compared to Pump Express 2.0.

MediaTek boasts an efficiency of 95 percent, thanks to the low impedance and current in excess of 5A. And the charging system should be very safe, with 20 safety mechanisms and continuous communication between the device and the charger.

mediatek pump express 3

MediaTek said the first devices to use Pump Express 3.0 would arrive this year, coupled with the Helio P20 SoC, with other SoCs to follow next year.

See the full details in the press release.

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HSINCHU, Taiwan – May 30, 2016 – Today’s high-powered smartphones have battery demanding applications and users. To help consumers quickly re-charge and stay connected to their world, MediaTek today launched Pump Express 3.0, its fastest battery charging technology to date.

MediaTek, a pioneering fabless semiconductor company and market leader in cutting-edge systems-on-chip (SoC), developed Pump Express 3.0 to charge a smartphone battery from zero to 70 percent in as little as 20 minutes. That’s almost twice as fast as competing solutions currently on the market and five times faster than conventional charging. With Pump Express 3.0 users can charge for five minutes and talk for four hours.*

“The engineering challenge in the smartphone world today is satisfying consumer demand for powerful, rich multimedia features without needing to plug in their phones all day long,” said Jeffrey Ju, Executive Vice President and co-Chief Operating Officer. “Our technology lets consumers power up quickly to stay connected, on the go and using their favorite applications whether for work or play instead of tethered to an outlet.”

Pump Express 3.0 is the world’s first solution to enable direct charge through Type-C USB power delivery. Direct charging bypasses charging circuitry inside the phone and prevents the device from overheating while also routing electrical current from the adaptor directly to the battery.

Pump Express 3.0 is an ultra safe charging solution with bi-directional communication and 20-plus safety and device protection systems built-in, including preventing device or charger overheating issues. MediaTek uses its own SoC technology in combination with technology advancements from Richtek, a company MediaTek recently acquired, to control heat issues and quick charge devices.

“Pump Express 3.0 is another example of MediaTek bringing better experiences to device makers and consumers,” said Ju. “We continue to push the limits of what technology can do without making it complicated for the end user.”

MediaTek’s earlier fast charging technology, Pump Express 2.0, is used by major brands including Sony, Lenovo, Gionee and Meizu. Key improvements included in Pump Express 3.0 include higher charging speeds, higher charging efficiency and lower phone temperatures when charging.  With direct charging, MediaTek cut power dissipation by more than 50 percent from Pump Express 2.0.

MediaTek Pump Express 3.0 technology will be available in the MediaTek Helio series P20 with devices expected to be in the market by end of 2016. It will also be available in future smartphone chipsets and can be added to MediaTek smartphone SoCs upon request by customers.

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