MediaTek unveils its latest fast-charging solution, Pump Express 3.0

MediaTek announced the next iteration of its quick-charging technology, Pump Express 3.0, which it says will be the fastest charging solution on the market. Designed to compete against Qualcomm's QuickCharge technology, Pump Express 3.0 promises to bring your smartphone battery from 0 to 70 percent in just 20 minutes (although MediaTek didn't disclose the battery capacity for those numbers), which is faster than QuickCharge 3.0 which can bring the LG G5 to 80 percent in in 35 minutes.

Pump Express 3.0 is also the first quick-charging solution to enable direct charging through USB-C power delivery, which means it will be able to charge smartphones quicker without overheating by bypassing charging circuitry and sending power directly from the adapter to the battery. MediaTek says Pump Express 3.0 will be available in smartphones with its Helio P20 SoC before the end of the year — but if you live in the US, don't get too happy. There are few devices in the US that use MediaTek chips.

The Sony Xperia C4 is probably the most popular device that uses a MediaTek chipset (it's a mid-range Sony smartphone that came out last year, so not that popular), but if you live in Asia you could see the technology in smartphones from a number of manufacturers including Sony, Lenovo, Huawei, and Meizu in the near future.

• SourceMediaTek