Question on wattage/voltage for smart phone (android) charging

[bombadillo]

So I have had a lot of issues with the chargers not working from one phone to another. My Galaxy SIII won't charge higher than 60% when I use one of the HTC plugs, and the chargers that I have are seemingly starting to suck. I wanted to find a good, high wattage/voltage or whatever it is, to charge my phones fast, full, and without issue. Right now I have an EVO 4G LTE on Sprint, and it seems that so far the charger is doing a good job, but I want to think about the future. I'm getting the Samsung Note III in April some time. Anyway, what do you brainiacs know about the chargers, how they function, and what would be the best functional charger for my phones, and maybe a galaxy tab III. Thanks in advance.

[watt79]

High voltage won't charge your phone fast. Most chargers for USB based phones should be 5v. You want one with more current. I think the one I have for my iPhone provides 1.5A. Seems to charge most USB devices pretty quickly.

[blazeaglory]

USB 3.0 on a computer/laptop and a charger driver/program maybe?

[bombadillo]

High voltage won't charge your phone fast. Most chargers for USB based phones should be 5v. You want one with more current. I think the one I have for my iPhone provides 1.5A. Seems to charge most USB devices pretty quickly.

Good name for the subject

I have seen some 10-15v chargers now on amazon/ebay so I don't want to burn up a battery either trying to charge it too hot or fast. Just checking the calguns opinion.

[the86d]

You can read the charger (on Samsung chargers and iPhone USB chargers you might have to use a magnifying glass).

I have had good luck with all devices with 5v @ 800ma or greater. 1-Watt (1000ma) chargers seem to charge faster.

I have had bad luck with some cheap China chargers that throw noise on the microUSB, making touch-screen-use while-charging unusable.

[bombadillo]

I have a cheap made in china 600mA 5.7v charger, and I found a Samsung 1w 5v charger in a box. I'm going to try the Samsung and see how it works. I'll buy a few more on Amazon too.

[MaHoTex]

I have a cheap made in china 600mA 5.7v charger, and I found a Samsung 1w 5v charger in a box. I'm going to try the Samsung and see how it works. I'll buy a few more on Amazon too.

Power = Volts X Current
1W @ 5V is only 200mA

You are better off with the 600mA one.

FYI... USB 2.0 maximum is 500mA and USB 3.0/3.1 is 900mA. Not sure how the charge circuit is current limited in the phone, but I would suspect it is current limited to about 500mA or so. Just a guess.

[sonofeugene]

Do NOT try to charge with any more volts than what it was designed for. Increasing the watt/amp rating of the charger can sometimes help, but not always. And if you're always keeping your battery topped off, don't. Let it go down to 20% from time to time.

And remember, battery performance degrades with use. Replace it when it no longer performs.

[bombadillo]

Power = Volts X Current
1W @ 5V is only 200mA

You are better off with the 600mA one.

FYI... USB 2.0 maximum is 500mA and USB 3.0/3.1 is 900mA. Not sure how the charge circuit is current limited in the phone, but I would suspect it is current limited to about 500mA or so. Just a guess.

So would a USB3 be a good cable to put on the charger?

Do NOT try to charge with any more volts than what it was designed for. Increasing the watt/amp rating of the charger can sometimes help, but not always. And if you're always keeping your battery topped off, don't. Let it go down to 20% from time to time.

And remember, battery performance degrades with use. Replace it when it no longer performs.

I typically let the battery go full cycle. Full all the way down to zero, and then back up again.

[njineermike]

There is a file within Android that must be deleted from time to time that contains battery statistics, but you have to be rooted to do it.

[d4v0s]

The galaxy s3 needs 1amp (1000mah) to charge best. A 500mah will take hours to charge, if you play with the phone while charging .5amp chargers will barely keep the screen on.

For the note, you will need the 2000mah chargers, or 2amp charger. A 2000mah charger will charge two gs3 phones no problem.

Stick with 5v chargers, just make sure they are higher mah ratings.

Also, a 6ft cable should be used with a 2000mah charger minimum... The 1ft cables charge fastest, as there is less resistance.

[d4v0s]

Forgot to mention, your battery is 2100mah, so at 1000mah charge cycle it will take 2.1 hours to charge fully.

At 500mah your looking at 4.2 hours for a charge, thats assuming the screens off and using no amperage.

The note will be 4-5000mah. And they are setup for the 2amp chargers.

Again, watch the charger length as it will severely impact charge times.

Final note, make sure the cable you buy has the correct pinout, many cables are actually USB only and are setup to only put out 500mah.

[MaHoTex]

So would a USB3 be a good cable to put on the charger?

I typically let the battery go full cycle. Full all the way down to zero, and then back up again.

The USB 3 cable would make no difference. It is the USB driver chip inside the PC that provides the 900mA.

I would just go on Amazon and look for a 2 Amp cell phone charger and go with it. Not sure how the "rapid charge" stuff works, but I suspect they just increase the maximum current delivery.

[MaHoTex]

Final note, make sure the cable you buy has the correct pinout, many cables are actually USB only and are setup to only put out 500mah.

I am not sure what you are talking about. USB uses pins 1 and 4 for power, 2 and 3 for D+/D-. No matter what USB cable is used, that does not change. Not that it doesn't exist, but I have yet to see a USB cable with current limiters built in. The PC (or the wall adapter for the cable) contain the circuitry for current limits.

[d4v0s]

So you haven't heard of it therefore it doesn't exist?

Gimme a ****ing break.

Its called a data only cable, and they will not allow full charge unless pins 2 and 3 are shorted.

Its also called charge only cables and chargers.