What is reverse charging?

Reverse charging lets your phone act as a power bank and send battery power to another device, such as wireless earbuds or a friend's phone.

Reverse charging means your phone can share its battery with another gadget, either wirelessly or through a cable. Many recent phones, especially flagship models, support it, and it is handy when another device is running low.

In daily use, it helps when you forget to charge your wireless earbuds or smartwatch, or when a friend needs a quick top-up for a call. The trade-off is that it drains your phone's battery faster and usually charges the other device slowly.

When buying, check the specs for reverse charging and whether it is wireless or wired. Typical power ranges from about 4.5W to 10W, sometimes less, so treat it as an emergency feature and make sure both devices support it.

More terms

AMOLED / OLED displayAn OLED screen is a display where each pixel lights up on its own, and AMOLED is an advanced version commonly used in phones.LTPO displayAn LTPO display is a type of smartphone screen that saves battery life by automatically changing its refresh rate based on what is shown on screen.Refresh rate (Hz)Refresh rate is how many times per second the screen redraws the image, measured in hertz (Hz).Brightness (nits)Screen brightness in nits measures how much light a display emits, and a higher number means a clearer screen in bright conditions.Resolution and PPIResolution is the number of pixels on the screen, and PPI is how many pixels fit in one inch, so higher numbers mean a sharper picture.Gorilla Glass and screen protectionGorilla Glass is a type of toughened glass used on phone screens to resist scratches and impacts, while screen protection covers anything that reduces the risk of screen damage.