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THERE’S A TRAIN of thought when it comes to batteries. At this point, we’re all used to our smartphones not lasting longer than a day, a day and a half max, so the next best thing is to look for ways to make it last longer or charge it faster.
For the latter, there is a group which say using an iPad charger for an iPhone – or a charger with a higher amperage – helps charge it faster. Some people swear by it, others say it doesn’t charge faster and then there are those who say that doing this will end up damaging your battery in the long-run.
The truth is somewhere in the middle but to understand the answer, it’s worth looking at how batteries are charged in the first place.
For example, an iPhone 6 comes with a 1A (amperage) charger, but an iPad comes with a 2.1A charger.
Conventional wisdom suggests that a higher amperage means faster charging, but iPhones (and smartphones in general) are able to regulate the flow of electricity from charger to battery. This is to prevent chargers from pumping too much power into the battery and end up frying it completely.
It’s similar to how you would turn on a tap on a sink and watch the water go down the drain. Regardless of whether you turn it on halfway or full blast, the same amount of water goes down the drain at the same speed.
It also depends on the type of phone you’re trying to charge. Newer models like the iPhone 6 will accept more power from a charger that can provide it while the older ones probably won’t. If you’re using a charger charging through your laptop via USB, then the length of time it’ll take to charge will be longer.
But does a charger with a larger amperage damage the battery?
As mentioned earlier, smartphones limit how much of a charge they take. In the case of iPhones, Apple says its current chargers are compatible with all iPhone models so you don’t have to worry if you use an iPad or iPhone charger.
Still, not all chargers are created equal and the amperage they can deliver will differ so some will be slower than others. Especially in the cases of non-Apple devices, which use micro-USB to charge, you could end up with different variations.
In that case, it’s best to play it cautiously. Make sure the charger in question is compatible with your device, especially if you’re dealing with third-party chargers (it’s recommended you stay away from them in general as they can be poorly made), and if the manufacturer says it’s compatible with high-amp chargers, then knock yourself out.
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However trying to charge an iPad from an old ‘non-brick’ iPhone charger WILL take hours
All iPads seem to take much longer to charge with iPhone chargers. We have gone through a few of each so this is just based on personal observation. In general though I would always buy apple chargers and leads. It’s a false ecomonic buying cheap ones as they break very easily and apple leads and chargers come with a years warranty.
Author most be bored
I don’t have an iPhone charger these days. Charge my phone using my Kitsound Boomdock music player. Once again it’s worthwhile saying that iPhones do charge faster in airplane mode.
airplane mode, faster charging, with some temporary peace and quiet by bring temporarily disconnected from everything :-) enough of being a slave to technology!
I have an iPhone 6+ and I find the battery lasts all day. I’ve even given up carrying a power bank as I find I don’t need it.
AMAZING
This might not make sense but I find it takes longer for my phone to charge with my iPad charger but my battery last longer .
Your right, it doesn’t make sense. Might be simply your perception of how long it’s lasting is changing based upon your expectation
If I’ve a tap on trickle then a trickle of water goes down the drain. The flow of water in a drain will depend on the size of the drain. If I turn that tap to mid setting or full whack you’re bloody right it’ll increase the flow. Numpty logic. iPad charger does charge iPhone faster.
correct.
Can’t wait to get rid of my one next week. iPhone you’ve served your purpose but time to move on. Android here I come!!
I was like that before, but 6 months later was back to iPhone.
Don’t have any i-devices but if the iPad chager charges the iPhone faster it would suggest that the supplied iPhone charger is underpowered.
The higher the amperage that a battery accepts, the shorter the lifespan of the battery, so it is a matter of finding the balance between the speed of charging and the lifespan of the battery.
the supplied iPhone charger charges slower due to a previous issue with the overheating and expansion of the iPhone litium cells.
I’ve attached a link to an article which provided an in depth analysis of various chargers, from those provided with products such as Apple chargers to various phone chargers to replacement chargers and of course counterfeit chargers.
The results may be surprising to some people, basically if you have a product worth several hundreds of euro then why risk charging it with a cheap charger that may put it, and you, at risk? The author noted that most of the chargers from authorised manufacturers contained advanced circuitry and were high quality devices while cheap counterfeit chargers contained basic circuitry, were of poor build quality, contained minimal insulation and were often unsafe.
http://www.righto.com/2012/10/a-dozen-usb-chargers-in-lab-apple-is.html
so will the journal pay for the costs when someone’s house burns down? only use the recommended charger for your device. using a 2amp charger on a 1amp device is leaving it open to explode, and possibly cause injury or a house fire. a lot of house fires are caused by electronic devices being used with the incorrect charger. be it a phone, Ecig, or tablet device.
Read the article – a modern smartphone will accept more current (amps) if it is offered it by a higher capacity (eg: iPad) charger, but will not accept more than is safe. Fires can occur with cheap chargers and/or damaged cables, but not by using a (decent quality) high-capacity charger. Note though that faster charging makes batteries warmer, and this shortens their life somewhat, so you should always use slower charging rates where possible.
I’ve worked in the mobile and technology sector for many years. yes they will accept it but not always safely, this is my point! a lot of people don’t use the original cable, not the plug as some devices don’t come with one. Yes charging makes the warmer it can also cause them to expand or malfunction. this is why my suggestions of using the original charger. even most shop you go into the staff haven’t a clue what they are selling customers. I’ve seen and heard of many horror stories where a battery has malfunctioned and caused damage or shorted the device
Hey doctor learn to physics. Once the voltage is correct the device will draw the current it needs. There is no risk whatsoever charging a 1amp device with a 2amp charger. You will have a problem if the voltage is incorrect.
Of course I am assuming the chargers are of sufficient quality. If you buy a cheap and nasty charger it is a risk regardless if the specs.
see there is the issue. most shops that sell chargers are cheap and nasty. bough in for less than €5 and sold for €20+ in some cases. very few phone shops stock original manufacturer chargers as people will just buy what the store have. they buy cheap and their profit margins on these products are huge.
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