Chinese phone manufacturer Realme has said its next flagship smartphone will be the fastest charging in the world, able to reach 50% battery life in only five minutes.

Realme said its GT Neo3 phone, announced during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) tech show in Barcelona, would use new technology it calls UltraDart Charging Architecture (UDCA).

That technology can support between 100W and 200W charging, which the company says also remains safe and does not change the lifecycle of the battery, which if true would be a substantial step forward in charging technology.

At present, the best fast chargers reach 100% in around 35 minutes.

Realme says that unlike other fast-charging technology, which can often increase the speed of charging at the expense of long-term battery life, its UDCA technology protects the battery and will retain 80% battery capacity even after over 1,000 charge cycles.

The company said the new technology uses “multi-boost charge pumps” to increase the charging current, while also using a heat management system that keeps the temperature below 43 degrees Celsius.

The fast-charging announcement was made as the Chinese firm unveiled its new flagship smartphone at MWC.

The GT 2 Pro, which will cost £599 when it goes on sale in the UK on March 8, comes with an ultra high-resolution 6.7-inch display and the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor – the fastest available for Android smartphones.