Ask AC: Can I use one company's quick charger with another's phone?

If you're one of the few whose shiny new phone has come with a Quick Charge 2.0 power supply in the box (here's a list if you're not sure, and even then some of then come with legacy chargers), you've come to a terrible realization. All of your other power supplies are woefully inadequate in comparison, and it's time to replace a few of your other chargers. This raises a few interesting questions, as you'll quickly notice that both smartphone manufacturers and third party suppliers have tech that claims to work with Quick Charge 2.0.

It turns out this isn't particularly complicated, but understanding the difference between the different Quick Charge 2.0 power supplies out there and how you can use them will likely make shopping for your next charger a little easier.

Want to know more about what Quick Charge 2.0 is and how it works? Check out our primer right here.

Because Quick Charge 2.0 is a licensed technology from Qualcomm, there are lots of third-party companies making accessories that support the technology already. All you really need to look for if you're searching for a supported third-party accessory is the Quick Charge 2.0 logo, the circle with a lightning bolt and typically "Quick Charge 2.0" in great big font on the packaging. You may see just the circular logo on the accessory if you've already taken everything out of the box, but it's usually pretty easy to identify these chargers without hunting for the voltage and amperage outputs.

Equipment made by smartphone manufacturers is a little different, as not all of them are required to use the same branding. Motorola's Turbo Charger, for example, has none of the Qualcomm Quick Charge markings anywhere on the power supply itself. You will see reference to Quick Charge 2.0 on the Motorola website when ordering, however, so it's unlikely you'll order the wrong thing accidentally. While it's less obvious on smartphone OEM accessories, a lot of this hardware is packaged with supported hardware when you make the purchase so it's likely this is a feature the OEM has taken time to brag about.

As for cross-compatibility between manufacturer accessories and third-party accessories, you'll find that everything works just about the same and there's no problem with using either. Just to be on the safe side, we asked Qualcomm for an official statement on the matter, and it was confirmed that Quick Charge 2.0 is a platform built for cross-compatibility.

So there you have it. Whether you're looking forward to checking out Quick Charge 2.0 on your next device or you're ready to replace all of the existing chargers in your house now that you've seen what charging a phone from dead to 50% in minutes is like, Qualcomm's partners already have you covered.

If you'd like to know more about the different kinds of Quick Charge 2.0 power supplies that exist today, for your home or for your car, we've got everything you need to know right here.