Looks like Samsung’s Galaxy S20 lineup has another first notched under its belt: They’re now the first to receive USB certification for their support of the Programmable Power Supply (PPS) and USB Power Delivery (USB PD) 3.0 standards. This was announced by the USB Implementers Forum today, and essentially means that the S20 phones should be able to work with third-part fast chargers.

I’ve outlined this issue before when I reviewed Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10+ last year, and it was something that attributed to the negatives in the review. It was too slow on other Fast Charging tech. GSM Arena highlighted this about the Note 10+ as it actually did support USB PD3.0 and PPS, but hadn’t received certification from the USB Implementers Forum.

But now, with this new certification, any fast chargers (as long as they’re certified) will be able to provide specific current and voltage required to charge the device. Theoretically, this is theoretical. Until and unless other chargers get the certification and are capable of delivering all the same specifications the S20 series needs, it’s not gonna to fully utilise the tech.

GSM Arena went on to explain how USB PD 3.0 and PPS are actually new standards which are designed to allow phones to charge at faster speeds. Essentially, the charger has to support the wattage the phone needs, as well as outputting the correct voltage and current. After that both charger and handset need to be able to communicate the maximum they’re capable of or they’ll go to a slower charging rate.

While this is the first of what should be many, they’re still recommending you use first party chargers to fully utilise 45W fast charging on the S20 Ultra, or the S20/S20+’s 20W charge. But it is a good indicator for the future when more chargers are certified, we’re looking at a seamless integration of fast charging throughout the industry and other chargers. Because let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than a slow charger, is there?