Samsung Galaxy S21 could steal the OnePlus 8T's best feature

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The Galaxy S21 will gain 65W charging just like the OnePlus 8T, according to a new leak

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung could seriously step up the charging speed of its next Galaxy flagship, based on South Korean certification details that have recently come to light.

Dutch site GalaxyClub has unearthed a document noting a new 65-watt "travel adapter" with the designation EP-TA865. The current maximum speed Samsung's latest flagships can charge at is 45 watts, though most of the company's devices ship with either 15W or 25W bricks.

65-watt charging would make for another sizable step up in speed, though the Samsung Galaxy S21 won't be the first to hit that threshold. We've already seen 65W adapters from the likes of Oppo and Xiaomi, and OnePlus plans to join their ranks with the upcoming OnePlus 8T. OnePlus claims this will allow the 8T to reach 58% capacity in 15 minutes, and full capacity in 35 minutes.

The OnePlus 8T will feature a 4,500-mAh battery, which is a size that will likely be incorporated in at least one of Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S21 series devices. The recently-released Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which also packs a 4,500-mAh power pack, reached 56% after a half-hour of charging in our testing with its packed-in 25W brick.

Samsung's current 45W brick costs $50, meaning owners will likely have to shell out a decent chunk of change for 65W charging, unless Samsung surprises us and includes the new adapter in box with its upcoming phones.

Current Samsung flagships also top out at 15W for wireless charging, which is decent but not the fastest we've seen. In that respect, OnePlus again leads the way, having introduced 30W wireless charging that's twice as fast on its OnePlus 8 Pro. The OnePlus 8T isn't expected to support this feature, as OnePlus typically restricts more premium capabilities like wireless charging to its most premium models. (And there will be no OnePlus 8T Pro model, the phone maker says.)

With smartphones taking on more power demands these days — from fast refresh rates to 5G connectivity — battery sizes have ballooned in recent years, and charging speeds have had to increase in kind so that the latest models don't require forever and a day to charge. Given that Samsung frequently releases new handsets with the latest and greatest tech and features, the Galaxy S21 certainly figures to benefit from an increase in peak charging speed.

Adam Ismail

Adam Ismail is a staff writer at Jalopnik and previously worked on Tom's Guide covering smartphones, car tech and gaming. His love for all things mobile began with the original Motorola Droid; since then he’s owned a variety of Android and iOS-powered handsets, refusing to stay loyal to one platform. His work has also appeared on Digital Trends and GTPlanet. When he’s not fiddling with the latest devices, he’s at an indie pop show, recording a podcast or playing Sega Dreamcast.