How to charge faster – Powering your tablet, phone & more
Everything you ever wanted to know about charging but were afraid to ask
Is wireless charging slower than using a wire?
We tried testing a Nexus 5 using a wireless Qi charger as well as using a 5V/1A USB adaptor and results were pretty close. Using a wired USB cable and adaptor the Nexus 5 drew 5.3W, whereas with the Qi charger it drew 4.8W so wireless charging will be slightly slower but not by a great deal and certainly not enough to negate the convenience of not having to connect a cable every time you want to charge.
Can I blow up my device?
A common fear with such discrepancies in output power is that you might cause your device’s battery to explode or become damaged. The truth is, this isn’t likely with modern devices. If you plug a low draw device, such as an iPhone, into a high output USB adaptor, such as the iPad’s, nothing bad will happen. If anything, the iPhone might charge slightly faster than if you were to use its standard charger if it’s capable of slightly higher energy draw. A device won’t draw more than it’s capable of handling.
If you have multiple USB wall adaptors around the house, it’ll therefore be most efficient to prioritise using the 2A chargers if you need to charge things more rapidly. However, be warned that voltage differences between countries could still damage your electronics due to voltage differences in the power outlets if your device doesn’t have a voltage transformer or you don’t use a separate transformer.
Type-C: The Future of USB charging
A special mention should go to USB Type-C. Until recently, the design of a USB port has remained largely stagnant since its first introduction back in 1996. Smaller connections, such as Micro USB and Mini USB were introduced to accommodate the diminutive size of many consumer devices and there’s also USB Type-B that is commonly used on printers, but the cables still typically all terminate in a full-size USB Type-A connection on the other end. Having such an array of connection types for consumers can be a little annoying as you might find your smartphone uses a Micro USB cable whereas your action camera uses Mini USB, meaning you always need to carry two separate cables.
USB Type-C changes all of this. It’s a new standard that has a reversible (meaning there’s no way to insert it ‘upside down’) Type-C connector on both ends. It can be used for a multitude of purposes, including data transfer, video output and, most importantly for the purpose of this article, charging as well. Its power output capabilities are far higher than the old USB specifications as it’s designed to be able to power extremely high draw devices such as laptops, including the new Apple Mac Book and Chromebook Pixel. This means it can support up to a staggering 100 watts of power (5V/20A) and is a technology that’s worth keeping an eye on as it will become more prevalent.