The OnePlus 8T may not come with wireless charging, but you can charge it from zero to full in just 39 minutes so most people aren't going to mind. That's because of the latest incarnation of Warp Charge, a new charger, and some changes inside the phone that make 65 watt charging safe and fairly efficient.
More importantly, Warp Charge itself has evolved and the new Warp Charge 65 wall plug and cable also comply with USB standards, meaning the same charger you use for your OnePlus 8T can fast charge your other gear, too. That's a first for OnePlus users and a pretty big deal. It also means we can carry one of the best chargers and cables you can buy instead of having a handful of other wires and wall warts.
This is all great news, but how OnePlus is doing it all is pretty cool, too.
Two batteries beat one
The key to being able to charge a phone halfway in just 15 minutes or to 100% in 40 is using more than one battery. That's exactly what OnePlus has done with the 8T and the 4,500 mAh of battery capacity is actually spread across two 2,250 mAh cells.
Feeding those batteries is a charger that delivers 10 volts at 6.5 amps, which is a big bump from the 5 volts at 6 amps the previous Warp Charge 30 could supply.
When you can supply that much power to two batteries you can charge your phone really, really fast. Imagine how much more water you can get into two buckets using two hoses compared to using one bigger bucket and one smaller hose and you get the idea.
A smarter charger
Another change is how all this magic and safety and communication between charger and phone works. Warp Charge 65 has almost all of the power switching done through logic inside the charger. All the phone has to do is report its temperature (the 8T has 12 temperature sensors) and the capacity of its batteries.
Safety is important when you're pushing a lot of power (and yes, 10 volts at 6.5 amps is a lot of power) which is why charging standards seem so contrived and, well, crazy. 65 watts produce a lot of heat and 6.5 amps can instantly stop your heart. Today's fast charging technology that pushes the boundaries of safety requires a lot of work to keep from damaging equipment and users.
This is why OnePlus' Warp Charge has always been locked to the brand. You need the right components and logic at both ends to keep everything in check and safe.
The good news is that moving more of the switching logic to the charger means it can double down and do more.
It just works
The Warp Charge 65 charger is now a standard USB-C PD charger at 45 watts and supports all the previous Dash and Warp charge standards, too!
This means a few changes, all of which are good. The charger now has a USB-C port and the cable itself — and we love OnePlus' soft and tangle-free cables — acts as a standard USB-C cable capable of charging and data transfer.
This means unless your headphones still use a micro USB port instead of the better USB-C port, you only need to carry one charger and one cable to charge everything. It can charge any USB device with a type C port, fast charge any device that uses the USB PD standard, and charge your phone completely in about a half-hour.
If you're like me, you really want wireless charging on your phone. But these changes to Warp Charge really do make up for its omission on the OnePlus 8T
OnePlus Warp Charge 65 Power Adapter
The new Warp Charge 65 charger can charge the OnePlus 8T as well as everything else that uses USB standards. And it does it FAST!
