Five minutes to charge a mobile

A MOBILE phone battery that can charge to 50 per cent in just five minutes has been developed.

The Lithium-ion device, made by Chinese tech company Huawei, is a similar size and capacity to the batteries fitted in most smartphones – but charges ten times faster.

The firm said atoms of graphite bonded to the battery’s anode allow it to charge quickly without affecting the amount of energy it can store.

At an event in Japan, Huawei also unveiled a smaller capacity cell that can reach 68 per cent in two minutes.

A post on a Huawei fans’ blog said: ‘Soon, we will all be able to charge our batteries to full power in the time it takes to grab a coffee.’

Earlier this year, British company Intelligent Energy claimed it had created a prototype hydrogen-powered fuel cell for Apple’s iPhone 6 which could keep the handset running for a week without needing to recharge.