As a proponent of fast charging convenience, the report that Samsung will increase the power of next year’s Galaxy S26 Ultra to 60W is music to my ears.
The current 45W power level is already in a sweet spot, taking just under an hour to fully charge the phone. Still, that extra boost will undoubtedly come in handy when you need to bring the phone back from the brink quickly. More juice in fewer minutes is always welcome when you’re in a hurry.
And yet, I feel a sting of hesitation — a faster-charging Galaxy S26 Ultra leaves me with plenty more questions I want answered.
Is 60W charging the upgrade the Galaxy S26 Ultra needs? 44 votes Yes, I want faster charging. 59 % 45W was fine, to be honest. 27 % I don't care about charging speeds. 14 %
I hope I don’t need yet another plug
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Before you ask, I’m not worried about long-term battery health implications. Samsung has historically played it safe with charging temperatures. My biggest concern with Samsung moving to a higher power level is that it might require yet another plug. Yes, you might already have a 100W charging brick ready and waiting on your desk, but as we know, charging is a mess of standards and compatibility issues. Even today’s high-power plugs aren’t guaranteed to work.
Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra uses USB Power Delivery PSS to reach 45W, which is excellent as it’s a universally supported standard that’s increasingly common in even affordable USB-C adapters and power banks. It uses one of two power combinations: 9V/4.5A or 14V/3A.
Thankfully, PSS is designed for scalable voltage, giving handsets many more options for fast charging. However, plugs usually come in one of three maximum PPS voltage options: 11V, 16V, or 21V. This can cause problems if brands are too rigid. The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, for instance, requires a 20V PPS plug to hit its far more modest 37W power level.
Samsung is unlikely to use 9V–11V charging to hit 60W, as that would draw over 6A — requiring a rather special USB-C cable. High currents also lead to voltage loss across cables, making them less efficient than higher-voltage solutions.
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