The $57 Aukey PA-Y13 46W USB-C Charger will charge even a top-end MacBook pro, though its 46-watt USB-C port won’t do it as fast as Apple’s 87-watt charger. But unlike Apple’s chargers, you can also plug in devices using regular and quick-charge USB-A ports. Apple’s 18-watt USB-C power adapter isn’t cheap at $29, and it’s bigger than newer third-party chargers that can deliver more power. But it’s a clean, solid adapter design that’s good for charging tablets, phones and other smaller devices. With Apple’s $19 USB-C to Lightning cable — also expensive — you can charge your iPhone or iPad fast, too. Barnes & Noble Nook Color devices also require a special charger that runs at 1.9 amperes.
You get two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports that work with iPhone, MacBooks, iPad, Nintendo Switch, Galaxy, and more. After spending a month with this unit, my one gripe is that it’s slippery and tends to slide around your desktop. This is a fast charger that can take your phone from 0 to 100% in less than two hours. When you don’t want to tether yourself to a long power cord, AmazonBasics Dual-Port USB wall charger is a smart choice. This small hub plugs directly into an outlet and charges up to two devices at a time. The odds are good that you have more USB-powered devices in your home than you do wall outlets. Even the best Portable battery packs can’t power up numerous devices at once. Thankfully, multiport USB wall chargers can power two to 10 gadgets at once, so you can keep everything topped off and within arm’s reach. My favorite, the Anker PowerPort 10, is a central hub that I’ve used exclusively on the road and at home for years.
Because USB chargers are relatively simple devices, it’s the little touches that make a difference. The majority of cell phones and tablets will charge fastest at 18w PD, so if you use both ports at the same time, you’ll end up with longer charge time. To finish everything, I’ve painted a little 0 and 1 beneath the switch, so I could see if the solar usb charger is on, without having to plug in my usb device. The best way to do this is to first glue the battery connectors in place, then the batteries, then the switch and the usb ports, and then the cover. Included Smart IC Technology detects your device and provides optimal charging current to each port. Rounding out this sleek charger are safety features to protect against overheating and overloading. When solid workmanship matters, you want the Syncwire charger by your side. With 48 watts, this white wall charger has four 2.4 amp ports and a build that’s tough enough to resist scratches, dirt buildup, and cracking from accidental falls.
USB4 increases speeds and charging power to match Thunderbolt 3, up to 100W. This type of connection now provides enough power to juice up most laptops (particularly the Type-C 3.0 version). That’s why laptop charging is a new topic of conversation for USB connections, especially now that more laptops are entering the market with USB-C charging compatibility. In our tests , the Anker and RAVPower models performed very closely to one another. But the reason the final list skews almost totally to RAVPower is that the company is just killing it in the value arena. In nearly every head-to-head match-up, the RAVPower charger beats its equivalent Anker model on price.
A feedback mechanism regulates the chopping frequency to keep the output voltage stable. Name-brand chargers use a specialized control IC to run the charger, while cheap chargers cut corners by replacing the IC with a cheap, low-quality feedback circuit. Some non-standard USB devices use the 5 V power supply without participating in a proper USB network, which negotiates power draw with the host interface. Examples include USB-powered keyboard lights, fans, mug coolers and heaters, battery chargers, miniature vacuum cleaners, and even miniature lava lamps. In most cases, these items contain no digital circuitry, and thus are not standard-compliant USB devices. This may cause problems with some computers, such as drawing too much current and damaging circuitry.
Most USB car chargers are splash resistant and can handle a few drops of water on the exterior shell. However, anything more than that and the USB charger is bound to malfunction and see an untimely death. Now that you’ve had a look at some of the best USB car chargers that money can buy, you need to know what to look out for when purchasing a USB car adapter. Here is a list of some of the most important considerations to bear in mind. Not only do they present a risk to you, the use of uncertified chargers may also damage your phone . It’s important to check the rating of the chargers, to ensure that the output is correct for your device. Do not simply assume that if they have the same physical connection the output will be the same. A supply of an incorrect charge may result in damage to your device and the potential risk of overheating and fire. When it comes to USB networks there is always one host and one device. The majority of the time the computer is the host and your appliance is the device.
But, many people don’t actually know what micro-USB charging actually does, particularly when it comes to fast charging. When you rely on multiple devices daily, the Anker PowerPort 10 is the best multiport USB wall charger for your money. With 10-ports at your disposal, you can safely keep phones, tablets, eReaders, fitness trackers, USB backup batteries, cameras, and other gadgets topped off and ready to work. Coolgear’s multiport USB Type-C / USB Type-A High powered charging hub is designed for power hungry USB devices that depend on fully charged batteries to operate. Charge your laptops, add it to a charging cart or system and experience the benefits of high power charging. Coolgear’s multiport USB Type-C / USB Type-A High powered charging station is designed for power hungry USB devices that depend on fully charged batteries to operate. Powerful industrial grade USB 20 port charging station has a built-in power supply at 5V 40A producing output of 2.1A current to each port for charging. The USB charger station works with an on/off toggle switch above its power connection. Take advantage of utilizing each and every charging port, connect all 16 ports without losing power to any USB device that is simultaneously connected.
A lot of them have fallen by the wayside, while others have quickly become the new standard for smartphones and other mobile devices. The USB spec also allows for a “sleep-and-charge” port, which is where the USB ports on a powered-down computer remain active. You may have noticed this on your desktop PC, where there’s always some power flowing through the motherboard, but some laptops are also capable of sleep-and-charge. Also, the USB PD standard that USB-C supports allows for a much higher wattage ceiling that USB-A, which means faster charging . Reliability The newer USB-C standard can deliver a more significant amount of electricity than its past counterparts. As a result, it’s extremely important to purchase your chargers from a reliable and well-known manufacturer.
A battery charger, or recharger, is a device used to put energy into a secondary cell or rechargeable battery by forcing an electric current through it. How your device negotiates because of the charger significantly determines just how your device charges. Whenever you plug your device towards the wall charger or recharging socket, the USB controller in your device communicates with the USB controller attached to the charger. All chargers have maximum amperage which can be usually between 500 milliamps and 1.5 amps. Generally in most cases a PC has 500mA whilst the max amperage of a wall charger differs in one device to another. Although, this is actually the case, the amperage of wall chargers is usually between 0.5A and 2.1A. The original power adapter provided an output to the minidisc player of 3V at 500mA. Unfortunately I can’t find any documentation for the minidisc player which highlights the tolerances.
Some chargers use pulse technology in which a series of voltage or current pulses is fed to the battery. The DC pulses have a strictly controlled rise time, pulse width, pulse repetition rate and amplitude. This technology is said to work with any size, voltage, capacity or chemistry of batteries, including automotive and valve-regulated batteries. The output current of a smart charger depends upon the battery’s state. An intelligent charger may monitor the battery’s voltage, temperature or time under charge to determine the optimum charge current and to terminate charging. The charging protocol depends on the size and type of the battery being charged. Other battery types cannot withstand over-charging, being damaged , over heating or even exploding.
A USB charger can be purchased separately from a third party. Be sure to read the manual that came with the device to determine what type of USB connector it has. Eyeballing the connector can lead to buying the wrong type of USB charger unless you are very familiar with the different USB standards by sight. USB cables are used to connect devices — such as printers, keyboards and music players — to computers. A USB charger cable features the male Type-A connector on one end, and a very different USB connector on the other. This end plugs into the portable device and is a more compact design to allow for the lack of real estate on handheld electronics. Several USB standards have developed including the Mini-A, Mini-B, Micro-AB and Micro-B connectors. The Micro standards are about half the thickness of the Mini standards, more easily serving slimline products. Virtually all portable, personal electronics feature a USB port, though the connector can vary between one of several standards. Computers use the Type-A standard, which is a flat, rectangular port that contains recessed data pins and exterior power pins that make contact first.
Like the above car charger, this is an IF-certified device, meaning it meets the required safety requirements. As noted earlier, the charger has a humble appearance with an oval face. It stands tall at 1.6-inches and easily plugs into the charging port of cars. At the same time, a universal Power Delivery port means that the car charger is future-proof. Even if you change your phone later, you will be able to use this charger. The chargers use a design called constant-voltage, constant-current , since they provide a constant voltage up to the maximum load and then a constant current if the load continues to increase. The Apple 3GS Environmental Report gives some efficiency measurements for the Apple USB Power Adapter. These values are reasonably close to my measurements of 0.195W no-load consumption and 73.6% efficiency.
Likewise, for the same battery a charge current of 250 mA corresponds to a C-rate of C/2, meaning that this current will increase the state of charge of this battery by 50% in one hour. Both devices must support USB 3.0 to take advantage of the cable’s faster transfer rate. Both devices must support USB 3.1 to take advantage of the cable’s faster transfer rate. USB-C data cables are best suited for data connections between a USB-C device and another USB device. Check your devices to see if they both support USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.1 Gen 2 . They can also be used to charge, but do so at the same rate as cheaper USB 2.0 cables.
It’s surprising just how similar the counterfeit chargers are, we’ve had a few dotted about the place, I find the UK iPhone chargers the most interesting as they can be almost identical. Even the one you have, apart from the color and that it is missing the “Designed by Apple in California”, they are almost identical, genuine ones also say “Emerson Network Power”. I feel like people don’t pay enough attention to the brand or quality of charger and just toss whatever they can on to it as long as the plug fits. The results from your testing show that it is actually a pretty big deal and could result in some damaged electronics or even worse, a fire. As someone else said, after market laptop chargers vs originals would be an interesting comparison too. You spoiled the review for me 😉 by your misuse of “eschew”. The Belkin design doesn’t AVOID the minimalist design of most USB chargers, it, too, has the typical minimalist design. I want to buy one of the dual 2A units, but I’ll wait if you are going to review them. Also, could you make one graph that shows the voltage output, versus amp draw, of all the power supplies. It seems to me from your article that phone manufacturers are still only paying lip-service to such a standard, if the charging voltages are being provided on distinct pins.