On May 2021, 5, the China Telecommunications Terminal Industry Association announced the "Mobile Terminal Integrated Fast Charging Technical Specifications", which clearly defined the first version of the design as UFCS (Universal Fast Charging Specification). Earlier, the 28 version of the standard was announced again, and mobile phone brands including Huawei, Honor, OPPO, and vivo were the first to join in the support.
When the 1.0 version of the standard was announced, companies including Xiaomi, Silergy, Rockchip, Lipton Technology, and Onpo Electronics had already joined in supporting it, which means that these companies will also incorporate the UFCS 2.0 version standard into their mobile phones and charging accessories, allowing the fast charging standards proposed by various companies to be compatible with each other.
Compared to the current charging specifications defined by the USB-IF Alliance, fast charging technologies proposed by Chinese mobile phone brands and charging accessory manufacturers have historically been fragmented. For example, Xiaomi's proposed 120W wired fast charging requires the Xiaomi-provided charger and charging cable to function. Using other commercially available chargers and accessories will only utilize the standard USB PD protocol, failing to achieve full fast charging performance or even operating at standard USB charging power. Fast charging technologies proposed by other brands often face similar challenges.
The UFCS protocol was proposed with the goal of ensuring interoperability between charging technologies offered by all brands. However, when UFCS 1.0 was first introduced, it only supported a maximum charging power of 40W, which was later increased to 65W. This still lags far behind the current standards of 240W and above, which have been achieved by various manufacturers.
The newly released UFCS 2.0 version significantly improves compatibility. For example, when using a 40W charging power, it no longer requires a specific brand of charger or charging cable, and can even be used with a mix of brands. Furthermore, UFCS 2.0 supports reverse charging, allowing users to directly charge different brands of mobile phones via a USB-C to USB-C cable (essentially charging the higher-battery phone to the lower-battery one).
In addition, the UFCS 2.0 version adds a design that automatically adjusts the charging power according to the phone's power level, allowing the phone to be charged in a shorter time while also preventing the battery from losing its service life due to fast charging technology.
In the further description, UFCS 2.0 version also stated that the supported charging power will be gradually increased, but each brand will still retainProprietary technologyThis means that different brands can continue to provide unique high-power fast charging technologies. The UFCS protocol only specifies the actual compatibility of the physical structure used, which means that the fast charging power used under this protocol will not exceed the technical specifications of each brand. However, it can at least allow charging accessories of different brands to be compatible with each other, while also increasing the fast charging power to a certain extent, making it more convenient for consumers to use.
