Launched earlier this month at Samsung’s mega ‘Unpacked’ event in San Francisco, the Galaxy S20 lineup has become the first smartphone series to have achieved the ‘Certified USB Fast Charger’ status. In a press release on Tuesday, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, said that Galaxy S20 devices have received the certification for supporting the Programmable Power Supply (PPS) feature of the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) 3.0 specification.

According to the industry organization, “USB-IF compliance means that products were certified to be compliant to the appropriate USB specifications and have been tested for interoperability with other USB products”. What it means in essence is that any device certified by the organization should have no problem working with third-party fast chargers that are also complaint with the established standard and are compatible with the specific current and voltage requirements of the handset.

Speaking on the certification, Samsung’s VP of Power Solution, Kisun Lee, said: “Galaxy S20 series has been certified to be compliant to the USB standards which means Galaxy S20 has met the highest standards in the industry. We believe that a convenient user experience is the most important value and using a robust and inherently safe USB PD standard ensures interoperability and an optimized charging experience”.

The Galaxy S20-series, which includes the S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, succeeds the Galaxy S10 series from last year with upgraded hardware and enhanced software. While the base Galaxy S20 goes up against the iPhone 11, Samsung this year introduced a premium ‘Ultra’ variant for the first time, with the S20 Plus slotting in between. The Galaxy S20 lineup is currently available for pre-booking in India at a starting price of Rs. 66,999.