What power should a tablet charger have? Fast charging: what you need to know about cables and smartphones. How to charge your phone: main rules
Short time battery life smartphone is a pressing problem for a modern person, for whom it is important to always stay in touch. Because of this lack of gadgets, users are forced to regularly incur additional costs - for the purchase of external batteries, for paid services charging in stores, even for the purchase of “second” phones that can “insure” the main device in case it “dies.”
However, when a gadget quickly discharges, as a rule, the user himself is much more to blame than the manufacturer. By following some rules for charging your smartphone, you can significantly increase its battery life.
Why does my phone charge quickly?
The user should not be surprised by the fact that a simple “dialer” can work without an outlet for 1-2 weeks, while a smartphone dies within a day after the last recharge. Functional push-button phones usually so primitive that it drains the battery there's just nothing. At the same time, smartphones have a whole arsenal of additional options, thanks to which they can successfully replace navigators, cameras, game consoles and other highly specialized devices. All these options quickly eat up amps.
Here are the main enemies of smartphone batteries:
- WiFi. If Wi-Fi module turned on, battery consumption occurs much faster. If wireless Internet distribution is also activated on your smartphone, you can see how the battery charge percentage is counting down right before your eyes. Important point The problem is that turning on Wi-Fi drains the battery more during periods of searching for a network than during constant connection. That is why, when leaving the reception area, you should not only switch to LTE, but also turn off Wi-Fi.
- Geolocation. Thanks to enabled geolocation, the user of a mobile device is able to track his location on the map and find out how far it is to his destination. Many people do not feel such a need, and therefore geolocation on their smartphones works in vain, devouring precious milliamps.
- Long conversations. In the specifications, the approximate battery life of gadgets is always indicated in 2 options: In standby And in talk mode. Talk time is significantly shorter. The user should, if possible, replace live communication with correspondence on social networks and instant messengers if he wants his device to last longer without recharging.
Contrary to popular belief, applications opened on a smartphone in background, have almost no effect on battery consumption. Starting a program from scratch is a much more energy-intensive procedure, so if you use any application constantly, closing it every time is pointless.
The reason for rapid battery consumption is not always found in software level. Perhaps the whole point is a technical malfunction, poor quality of the battery or its wear and tear. Every battery has its own service life, which is measured in the number of charging cycles. Upon reaching the threshold value, the smartphone with each new charger starts to sit down faster.
The iPhone has an approximate battery life of 500 cycles, which is between one and a half to two years of use. From the 501st cycle, the battery of an Apple gadget begins to lose efficiency. Upon reaching the 1000th cycle, the battery capacity is usually only 50% of the original. You can find out the number of charge cycles on your iPhone using the program Battery Life.
Slow charging: what is the reason?
The reason why the smartphone is charging slowly, is hardly a malfunction of the gadget and its components. Most likely, the problem lies in the charger elements or in the power source.
If the smartphone is recharged not from an outlet, but from the port of a laptop or PC, you should not expect the battery to be filled to the brim in the usual time. USB port format 2.0 provides power of only 2.5 W, whereas to recharge a battery with a capacity of 3000 mAp required approximately 5 W. Ports of the format cope better with the task of recharging gadgets 3.0 giving 4.5 W.
However, if the laptop is equipped, then you can forget about connecting the smartphone to the outlet forever. New USB type capable of charging devices with up to 100 W, which means quickly refilling the battery of a mobile phone or even a tablet through this outlet will not be difficult.
Poor quality USB cable and insufficient adapter characteristics can also be the reasons for slow charging. When choosing an adapter, you should pay attention to current power- an indicator expressed in amperes (A). Previously, this point had to be taken into account - if the current power was low, the device would charge slowly or “not reach” the capacity. At the same time, it was impossible to “go too far”; too much current could harm the battery. In 2019, such a problem does not exist.
There is no need to worry about the fact that too much current will “burn” your smartphone - all gadgets have special charging controllers that do not allow more current to pass through than the device can withstand. In addition, a high-quality control system has similar controllers.
How to charge your phone: main rules
Mobile technology users still remember the rule from the 2000s: Discharge your phone to 0%, then charge it completely. This rule is only relevant for nickel batteries, which you can’t find today “in the wild”. Most smartphones come with lithium-ion batteries that cannot be discharged to zero - this causes irreparable harm to them!
In recent years, information has begun to come from manufacturers of mobile equipment that in order to “maintain” the life of the battery, it should be kept at a level of 20 to 80%. Of course, you can go beyond these limits, but ideally you should adhere to the recommendations. Some modern gadgets already have a hardware function that automatically cuts off the power supply when the capacity reaches 80%, or there is a corresponding option in the power settings. Representatives of Asus spoke about this mode. If special function no, then nothing prevents you from installing the appropriate software from PlayMarket or AppStore, which will perform a similar task.
- Do not leave a fully charged smartphone connected to an outlet– especially for the whole night. This leads to overheating of the battery and, as a result, to a reduction in its service life. To avoid disastrous consequences, the user should pay attention to pulsed chargers - we will tell you later how they differ from conventional ones.
- Monitor the temperature. During charging, the smartphone already heats up - if it is also left in the sun, it can easily fail. Of course, the device should not be covered with something or hidden somewhere. All this is additional heating and, as a result, possible breakdown. Do not forget that low temperatures are no less harmful to the battery. The reference ambient temperature for charging is 20 degrees Celsius.
- Regularly recharge your smartphone- at least a little bit. Short-term charging is not a detrimental measure for modern lithium-ion batteries- this has been proven by an organization called University of Battery Research and Production (Cadex). To be able to power the gadget in any conditions, it is worth purchasing the so-called Power Bank – external battery. Our site has already talked about how to choose an external battery for a smartphone.
- Once every three months (but not more often), completely discharge your smartphone and charge it to 100%. This measure will allow you to calibrate the electronics, which are responsible for the correct display of charge percentages. A user who neglects such a measure should not be surprised that his gadget “suddenly” turns off at 5-10%.
- To not allowdeep discharge . This concept means leaving the smartphone in a discharged state for a long time. The gadget is dead and won’t turn on– one of the most common complaints from users applying for warranty service.
An important point is that if the phone is planned to be “mothballed”, that is, it will not be used in the near future, the battery should be charged to 50%. In this state, the device must be turned off. You cannot completely discharge or charge your smartphone before sending it to temporary rest.
The recommendation to use only original accessories for recharging is highly questionable. Of course, fuel the gadget the better The memory that was included in the kit. However, if it fails, the user will be faced with a serious dilemma due to an understandable desire to save money - after all, the original accessory is two or three times more expensive than the universal one.
In fact there is no big difference between universal and original memory devices. If a universal charger for a smartphone is made by a well-known company, and not by a Chinese no-name, it will definitely not destroy the gadget.
How to properly charge a new battery?
Follow the advice to discharge and charge three times new smartphone- a sure way to “ruin” the battery in the first days of use. This again had to be done with nickel batteries - as for lithium batteries, each complete discharge significantly shortens their service life.
Modern gadgets do not have any special requirements for the first charge. Users do not need to believe in the “noodles” that consultants and “pseudo-experts” of thematic sites “hang on their ears.”
It is best for the owner of a smartphone to take the instructions, find what it says about charging time, and leave the gadget connected to the outlet for the time specified in the manual. After this time, you should disconnect the device from the power supply at 100% charge and then adhere to the rules listed above.
How to choose a charger for a smartphone?
Many of the options to consider when choosing a phone charger have already been mentioned in this article. In fact, for modern gadgets, the SZU is selected according to the principle - the higher the current, power and voltage indicators, the better. The fact is that a few years ago, powerful charging could very well burn the battery. In 2019, power supplies have controllers and modes that determine what exactly is connected to them and based on this they supply current with safe parameters.
Other parameters that you should look at when purchasing are as follows:
- Type. All memory devices are conditionally classified into 2 types: transformer And pulse. Pulse ones differ in that they are equipped with timers that can automatically stop charging. The fast charging mode of a pulse charger lasts about 4 hours - this time, as a rule, is enough for the battery to gain the bulk of its capacity. Then the energy begins to be supplied in small portions - “pulses” - so that the smartphone does not lose charge.
- Construction and design. Solid chargers that do not allow the user to disconnect the wire from the power supply are becoming a thing of the past. Purchasing such a charger unprofitable, because the owner of the gadget has to buy a USB cable “in addition” to it - if he intends to download data from a PC to the smartphone.
It is more advisable to purchase a cable and adapter equipped with several ports.
Thanks to this adapter, the user gets the opportunity to charge two or more mobile devices A simultaneously– to do this, you just need to buy a second cable, which costs much less than additional charging. 
When ordering a charging adapter on a Chinese website, the user should also pay attention to plug type. For Russian sockets you need European standard plugs– example in the picture above in the upper left corner. However, there is no particular point in ordering SPDs in China today; Russian online stores offer a more than decent selection of high-quality devices with reasonable prices. You can find the best options in our rating of network chargers below.
The best wall chargers
Qumo 23714
Price: from 1,299 rubles.
Quite a budget model with 3 USB-A outputs. The top one has fast support charging Quick Charge (3.0, 2.0, 1.0). Maximum current – 4.2 A, power – 18 W. The SZU automatically selects the necessary parameters for charging the connected gadget, and also has protection against power surges, overload and short circuit. An option for those who need to quickly and safely charge several gadgets without paying a lot of money for it.
Aukey PA-Y9
Price: from 1,490 rubles.
The stylish charger from Aukey is equipped with a reversible USB-C 5 V/3 A connector and a classic USB-A 5 V/2.1 A port. The total power is 25.5 W. This will allow you to safely charge any gadget from iPhone latest models to any tablet. The body of the SZU is made of high-quality plastic with Soft Touch coating. If necessary, the plug is retracted into a special niche on the body, which simplifies the process of storing the unit or carrying it with you.
MOMAX U.Bull (UM3S)
Price: from 1,690 rubles.
A model with an interesting design and three connectors. This is an excellent option for charging Apple equipment and any other expensive devices. The top USB-C port with 5 V/5.4 A is designed to charge MacBooks or laptops powered by Type-C, the bottom two USB-A port 5 V/2.4 A is suitable for powering any mobile gadget. Total power – 28 W.
The SZU received support for Automax technology, which is capable of understanding which device is connected to it and providing the appropriate current parameters for safe charging. In addition, there is protection against overheating, short circuit, high voltage. The power supply comes with a silicone case (red or blue options available) which has slots for attaching the power cable.
RIVACASE Rivapower VA4125 + Lightning
Price: from 1,890 rubles.
Not the most interesting SZU in terms of execution, but quite convenient and functional. The model is equipped with two USB-A connectors with 5 V/3.4 A with a total output power of 17 W. This is enough to simultaneously charge two smartphones or tablets. The kit includes a detachable 1.2 meter Lightning cable for iPhone charging. The charger is available in white or black. Great option for those who need a power supply with a cable included for reasonable money and good quality.
Belkin F7U011vfSLV
Price: from 1,990 rubles.
Belkin accessories are most loved by Apple owners. This is not surprising, since this company makes not only high quality, but also very stylish. The model received two outputs – USB-C and USB-A. The first has a current of 3 A, the second 2.4 A, the total power is 27 W. The SZU is made of high-quality plastic with high wear resistance and fire protection properties. The case is quite compact, which makes it convenient to carry with you. Color: Silver. MFI certified.
ANKER PowerPort Speed 5 Ports 63W
Price: from 2,990 rubles.
A model designed for 5 devices at once. Suitable for those who have many gadgets at home or in the office. All outputs are USB-A type, two ports support Quick Charge, the remaining three support PowerIQ (automatic selection of current supply parameters depending on the connected device). The device has a blue LED operation indicator - from it the user can understand that the device is connected to the network. The accessory is small in size, all internal elements are hidden in a case made of high-quality plastic. Total power – 63 W, maximum current – 12 A. There is MFI certification, that is, Apple officially recognizes this device safe for your equipment.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, domestic users continue to stubbornly believe common myths about charging mobile devices. They don’t even suspect that, trying, for example, to completely discharge the batteries of smartphones, they are doing a disservice to their devices. Recommendations that were left in the memory of users in the 2000s are relevant for nickel batteries. Modern smartphones have lithium ion batteries, the care requirements for which are completely different.
Good day, dear readers! In this post I will tell you and give examples of how to properly charge your smartphone! All the details are under the cut :) Nowadays, every person, and even more so a geek, has at least three chargers in the house for their Android devices. But everyone...
Good day, dear readers! In this post I will tell you and give examples of how to properly charge your smartphone! All the details are under the cut :)
Nowadays, every person, and even more so a geek, has at least three chargers in the house for their Android devices. But all charges have a slight difference. A smartphone charger, for example, has a current of 1A, and a tablet charger has a current of 2A.
Most people have a question: is it harmful to charge a smartphone by charging from a tablet, or vice versa? And the main question is how to properly charge your smartphone? This question, of course, arises most often among newcomers to mobile world. But still it takes place!
There are a lot of opinions about how to charge this or that device. Some people advise discharging the device’s battery to 0% each time and charging it to 100%. And some recommend keeping the charge between 20% and 80%. Complete discharge of the battery occurs if the battery is nickel, because nickel batteries have the so-called “memory effect”. But as we know, in modern devices rechargeable batteries"lithium-ion", and such batteries do not have this effect. Thus, we immediately exclude the myth of “0% discharge” from our methods of charging devices :)
Which method, then, will be more gentle on our batteries?
— Recharging the device
The most gentle mode for the device’s battery is to recharge it regularly. Many people advise that the battery charge should not drop even below 50%. I would advise you to recharge the device every time the charge drops to 20%. It is best to keep the charge between 20% and 80%.
— Do not leave the device to charge “overnight”
As I said above, the battery-friendly mode is from 20% to 80%. There is an opinion that if you leave the device on charge “overnight”, this is what shortens the battery life. But this applies more to “no-name” devices (China). Since most official, branded gadgets have built-in controllers that control the charging/discharging current of the battery. When the charge reaches 100%, the controller opens the key and the voltage stops being supplied to the battery, to avoid overcharging. So leave it overnight and don't be afraid of anything!
— Discharging at 0% IS USEFUL, but not often :)
Yes, yes, exactly the discharge to zero. Although I wrote above that this is very harmful to the battery, it needs to be done once a month. Now I will explain why! All of our devices display the charge as a percentage; due to frequent recharging, this indicator will show incorrect readings over time. You can calibrate these readings in a simple way, discharging the battery to zero and fully charging to 100%.
— Keep the device in the refrigerator!
No, this is of course a joke about the refrigerator. But I must tell you that high temperatures shorten the life of the device’s battery. Those who really wondered about the influence of temperatures on lithium ion batteries They know that if you store it at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius for a year, the battery loses about 20% of its total capacity.
— Is it possible to charge a smartphone using a tablet charger?
We all, including myself, have at least two chargers in the house. In my case, this is charging from LG Nexus 4 (with an output current of 1.2 A) and from ASUS Nexus 7 (2012) with an output current of 2A. And no matter how much I want to, I either charge the tablet using a smartphone charger, or vice versa. So let's figure out whether such interchange of chargers is harmful?
Opinions on this matter are divided... Some say that a higher current than in the “native” charger can damage the battery or even damage the device. Others say that it is completely harmless to the battery.
But personally, I believe that the “interchangeability” of chargers has its place, and nothing will happen to your devices. Why? Because, as I already said, each device has charge/discharge controllers and a battery controller. So this same controller will not allow the device to “take” more current than it needs. If, for example, a smartphone is charged from a “native charger” with a current of 1A, then from charging a tablet (which has a current of 2A), the smartphone will also consume the 1A it needs.
IMHO
Personally, I charged my Galaxy Nexus with an ASUS Nexus 7 (2012) charger for a year, and nothing bad happened. And now I use the same charger from the Nexus 7 to charge the LG Nexus 4. And I don’t worry about battery damage, or even more so, the device failing!
What do you, dear readers, think about this? Is it possible to “interchange” chargers from different gadgets in the house?
For the average person, charging is a cord, two contacts and a plug for the outlet. If everything were that simple, all charges would be the same. But have you noticed that with some devices your phone comes to life faster, with others – slower. The third charge is not suitable at all. We constantly lose them, forget them with friends or in a cafe. Once every six months the cable will definitely break down.
Chargers are one of the most necessary and popular accessories. We explain which charger to buy so you don’t go broke and it works.
A board with microcircuits is embedded inside modern cables; it determines the operation of the accessory in different modes: from charging to synchronization. Socket adapters have different characteristics and speeds.
Original charger: it will definitely work, but very expensive!
Who better than the manufacturer to know everything about his brainchild! The original charger suffers from only one drawback - its high price. 3590 rubles for charging for MacBook and new iPhone generation- robbery. And other brands set a high price bar. Both Samsung and Sony - from two thousand.
In Russian online stores, prices for analogues start at about 800 rubles. On Aliexpress - even 300-400 rubles. Add to this a branded cable for 1990 rubles - and you will get a fast charging kit for iPhone 8 for 10% of the cost of the smartphone itself.
Prices for accessories on the Apple website are steep, but the choice of alternatives is not as wide as that of Android competitors
In the kit, Apple includes its old slow charger and cable, which will charge the new iPhone by a maximum of 25-30% in 30 minutes. In the same half hour, the flagship from Samsung/Sony/Huawei will be half charged, and the battery capacity of Android devices is one and a half times higher. The desire to make money selling accessories overcame common sense.
Where can I buy: in the official online store of the smartphone manufacturer or in the nearest official reseller store (not to be confused with the kiosk in the transition).
Chargers from “foreign” trusted companies: already cheaper
If the price scares you, you can buy a device from a “normal” manufacturer of universal accessories. For example, Belkin, Nillkin, Qi Wireless, Anker, SnowKids and others. See the assortment of retailers at the re:Store level. You will receive a guarantee that the characteristics (power figures, output current) correspond to the declared ones and a company guarantee. The same Belkin is among the certified Apple manufacturers.
For Android phones, official chargers are quite stylish and/or cute. You can use such chargers without fear for the safety of your gadget.
Will you forget this kind of exercise? / Photo – Andru
Where can I buy: on the websites of device manufacturers or in hardware stores. Be sure to check that the charging company is the one you need. The price is already average: you can’t buy a charger from a famous manufacturer for less than 500 rubles.
Counterfeits and no-name chargers: better buy coffee with that money
Anything that costs roughly 100-500 rubles and is sold at a stall in the passage is a bad choice. Such chargers are divided into two types: counterfeits of expensive brands and no-name ones.
The purpose of fakes, of course, is to be similar to the original. Noname is some kind of miracle with an unpronounceable name that is clearly of Asian origin, like Olaudem crdc.
Such charges may suddenly contain other functions, such as a flashlight.
Manufacturers of well-known accessories are afraid of ruining their reputation. Counterfeits and nonames have nothing to worry about - there is no reputation.
In the case of Apple's lightning connector (and these are iPhones from 5 to 7 Plus), everything is completely bad. The iPhone will not charge and may display a message that the accessory is not supported. And after some time, about two weeks. It’s too late to return the charger to the store, and I’m too lazy to bother with hundreds of rubles.
WITH USB Type With C and the still most common MicroUSB connector in Android, everything is simpler in terms of compatibility, but just as unreliable in terms of quality.
It is difficult for an inexperienced user to distinguish an original from a fake. Yes, the markings and the location of the contacts may differ, but few people know “how to do it correctly” in each specific accessory. Pay attention at least to spelling errors and the overall quality of workmanship - lack of polishing, crooked assembly, and of course - the suspiciously low price. The fake is here on the left (c) Photo icases.uaDisadvantages of counterfeit chargers: discrepancy with the numbers on the label, the most slow charging, incompatibility with declared devices, and, of course, a short-lived controller.
The controller is an important part that protects the phone. This is a small set of transistors that are responsible for the fact that the smartphone will automatically turn off charging when it reaches 100%. Plus, the controller evaluates the supplied voltage and prevents overheating.
The problem is that cheap Chinese power adapters are made from dubious components. When the transistors burn out, your smartphone can receive a powerful incoming current charge and burn out. But you won’t be able to check in advance what quality the controller is in the charge.
Chargers with many connectors are less reliable than those with one. In addition, this is a clear sign of a cheap Chinese accessory. Branded chargers with multiple connectors also exist, but there are only a few of them.
Fire hazards and the risk of breaking a smartphone are not the only problems. The charging numbers may be stated alone, but in reality the current strength and voltage will not correspond to reality. About them - below.
Just something complicated: the higher the output current, the faster the charging
If you are used to charging your phone not from a laptop, but from an outlet, it is important to have a good power adapter (the same outlet to the cord). When choosing an adapter from a third-party manufacturer, focus on the original charger, or more precisely, on the current value “A”.
A few simple truths:
- Current strength is measured in amperes. Always First of all, look for the marking on the charger Latin letter"A";
- Typically, a smartphone charger has a current of 1 ampere, less often: 1.2A, 2A, 2.4A;
- Most smartphones require adapter sockets to charge power from 5W (W).
Many modern smartphones can charge much faster if you use a more powerful charger. In most cases it will come bundled with the exception of Apple and Sony.
The standard iPhone package (even those that support fast charging) includes a power adapter with a power of 5 W (or the Latin “W”) and an output current of 1 A. Standard charging with a current of 1 A will charge the iPhone 7/8 Plus for hours, and Samsung Galaxy S8 can handle it in an hour.
At the Apple Store you can buy a charger with a power of 12W, 29W, 61W and even 87W. The thickest adapters. The output current will be from 2.4 A, and such adapters are intended for Mac or iPad.
Don't be afraid that your phone may burn out: a special controller will limit the current to that which is supported by the phone, so you can safely use powerful charges.
If you have other manufacturer's equipment (computers, tablets) - use their chargers to achieve high speeds. A computer connected to a power outlet is itself a complex controller.
Each device: tablet, smartphone, eBook or laptop come with their own chargers. At least that was the case until recently. Now the majority modern smartphones and tablets have a Micro USB connector, and this is becoming a standard. Against this background, the question arises: is it possible to charge all your gadgets through one charger?
Despite the fact that over time more and more chargers are produced according to a single standard, several types of chargers are still widespread:
- Laptops. Unfortunately, we have not yet come up with a single standard for charging laptops and netbooks. There is no universal connector, which means that each device needs an individual charger.
- 8-pin connectors(lightning connectors) for Apple gadgets. Since 2012, Apple has standardized on the 8-pin connector, and now all devices released after this year: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, iPad Nano, can be connected using a charger certified and designed by Apple.
Older Apple devices have a 30-pin connector, and for those who still have them, Apple produces lightning to 30 pin adapters.
- micro USB chargers. All new smartphones, including devices with Android based And Windows Phone, are available with a standard micro USB connector, so there is no need to select individual chargers for them, as for the old ones mobile phones. To meet this standard, Apple offers Lightning connectors → Micro USB adapters.
Can I charge any device with a connector? Micro USB from any charger Micro USB?
In theory, every Micro USB charger can be plugged into a device with such a connector, which means it can be used for any device, be it a smartphone, tablet or even a laptop. Very convenient - if you buy a new smartphone or tablet, you can charge it with an old charger. The only difference is the voltage and current, but more on that later.
You can also charge the device from a laptop using a Micro USB→USB adapter.
Dangerous chargers
The HP Chromebook 11 is the first laptop to use a Micro USB connector for charging. Most laptops require more power and cannot be charged this way.
But this laptop was also withdrawn from sale due to reports of overheating of the charger, which could cause a fire. An HP spokesperson advised users who purchased the HP Chromebook 11 not to use the original chargers that came with the device.
You can continue to use your laptop by charging it using one of the micro-USB chargers tested by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (US Standards and Certification Company), for example, from a tablet or smartphone.
You will easily recognize chargers that have been tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. - they have the “UL Listed” logo.
This means that the charger has been tested for safety and will not cause a fire or shock you. But in some cases, even proven chargers can cause trouble, namely when the device’s battery is faulty. So the cause of a fire can be either a non-original cheap charger or an equally cheap, uncertified battery.
Voltage and current
All USB connectors are designed for a voltage of 5V. This means that you can safely connect the charger to the device via micro USB.
Another thing is the current strength. To charge the device faster, chargers increase the current, which is measured in amperes (A). Chargers that come with Android tablets, are designed for higher current strength than similar devices for Android smartphones. For example, a tablet charger is rated at 2A, while a smartphone charger is only rated at 1A.
If you connect a smartphone charger to a tablet, the tablet will charge very slowly because there is not enough current to charge properly. If you try to charge your smartphone using a tablet charger, nothing bad will happen, and your smartphone will not explode or catch fire.
Most likely, the smartphone will not take the maximum possible number of amps that the charger provides, so everything will be fine. Maybe the smartphone will charge just a little faster.
