Samsung may have inadvertently revealed a long-awaited charging upgrade. A low-key accessory listing for a 60W USB-C power adapter is a strong indication that the company’s next-gen flagship will exceed its previous ceiling of 45W, and open up Samsung’s upper echelon phone line to a new generation of ‘Super Fast Charging’.
What the 60W adapter tells us about Samsung’s plans
The new charger (model number EP-T6010) comes as one of the company’s few USB Power Delivery 3.1 with Programmable Power Supply (PPS)-compatible chargers, providing up to 60W through a single USB-C port. It adjusts output from 5V to 20V and provides up to 3A, which means you could use this to control the speed and heat for your Pi even if you don’t have an e‑marked 5A power cable. In other words, it’s a smarter, more adaptable brick than Samsung’s existing 45W PD 3.0 PPS standard.
Samsung also touts the Smart IC, which reduces idle draw to about 5 mW. That’s comfortably beneath the European Commission’s 0.075W threshold for no-load use of external power supplies, suggesting strong efficiency credentials even before a device is plugged in. The adapter’s spec sheet matches closely with the USB Implementers Forum’s newest PD 3.1 rule set, translating to wide compatibility across phones, tablets, and even many ultraportable laptops.
Why a 60W ceiling could matter for Samsung flagships
For its part, Samsung’s elite handsets have topped out at 45W since the days of Super Fast Charging 2.0. That approach prioritized battery longevity and thermal conditions, but it also left Galaxy Ultra buyers watching rivals boast eye-catching wattages. It would be a 33% increase from the peak input power when moving to 60W. Real-world charging curves are generally less linear, but a well-aligned 60W profile would make for several minutes shaved off the mad dash to a useful top-up, particularly for that initial 0–50% range where PPS does so well.
If the S26 Ultra uses a dual-cell or stacked battery layout, which is commonplace with high-wattage devices, it could accept higher current earlier in the cycle while keeping heat more uniform.
That method has been employed by several other brands to achieve the optimum speed without compromising the long-term health of your battery — and it would certainly make sense for Samsung’s charging refresh.
How Samsung’s rumored 60W charging compares with rivals
Rivals have leaned into headline numbers. Xiaomi and Realme have each come out with 120W phones, and some Oppo handsets rival or exceed those numbers in specific regions. (Look at the punched-out notch!) OnePlus often mentions 80W or even 100W, but US models can only hit lower charging rates based on regional standards. At the other end, Apple’s iPhone Pro models top off in the high-20W range, while Google’s recent Pixel flagships sit around 30–45W or so depending on the version.
A 60W ceiling may not be a new industry standard, but it would bring Samsung somewhat closer to joining the fast-charging elite while still engaging in that PD/PPS handshaking — and that’s really the key difference. PD 3.1 remains the go-to open standard for accessories and devices ranging from cameras to laptops, decreasing our dependence on proprietary bricks and cables.
Compatibility and caveats for PD 3.1 and 60W charging
The limit is your phone, not the charger. Do not be alarmed: current Galaxy flagships have a maximum charge of 45W, and they will not start drawing 60W all of a sudden if you plug in the EP-T6010. Look for backward compatibility, with PD 3.1 agreeing on the best common profile. If the S26 Ultra is in fact made for 60W, then you’re getting an officially sanctioned way of hitting that peak value with ordinary 3A-rated cables — it also powers up tablets and plenty of thin-and-light laptops at a good clip.
They’re going to have to work out how they manage thermals and implement sustained performance. Vendors are using PPS these days as a means of stepping down voltage in discrete increments as temperatures climb, and “massaging” the curve smoothly rather than falling flat on your face or resorting to slower fallback. If Samsung couples PD 3.1 PPS with smarter battery chemistry and thermal design, users can look forward to faster early charging without the visible heat spikes that age cells prematurely.
What to watch next as Samsung’s charging plans evolve
Keep your eyes peeled for references to “Super Fast Charging 3.0” or the like on future product packaging, and signs of a two-cell arrangement or stacked batteries in certification filings. Safety certifications from organizations like UL and compliance with IEC 62368-1 will also tell us if Samsung is confident in keeping wattage scaling under control.
Samsung hasn’t made the S26 Ultra charging specs official, but the 60W adapter sighting is a compelling breadcrumb. Finally, years after stopping at 45W, it seems the next Galaxy Ultra may just charge faster without diving out of the universal PD/PPS ecosystem that many power users prefer.
