Charge ahead! Most gear requires recharging batteries.
This reader’s letter illuminates the nuances of charging:
“My question is regarding the newer, better and smaller USB-C option as referenced in your June 12 column.
I purchased a new iPhone 13 recently, and a USB-C (to Apple lightning) cable was included, no adapter.
Apple makes a 20W USB-C fast-charging power adapter. Would this be OK for everyday charging, or is it better, safer to use a lower-watt adapter? What would you recommend?”
Charge to the maximum recommended by the manufacturer. Further, it will not hurt to use a higher-wattage charger than needed by the product.
For example, I sometimes charge my Pixel phone, for which Google suggests a 30-watt charger, with my 65-watt Dell laptop charger. Conversely, the laptop does not like being charged with the 30-watt phone charger, although it does no damage.
Most current properly designed electronics will accept a wide range of charging current without damage. Nearly all automatically stop charging once the battery reaches a full (or nearly full) charge. If you really care about prolonging battery life, manually disconnect the charger when the battery reaches 95 percent. Avoid continuous charging when possible. At the other, don’t discharge below 20 percent.
While your phone, tablet, laptop and other electronics contain “fail-safe” circuitry, that may not protect them from poorly designed chargers and charging cables. Most products no longer arrive with a charger, but they do include a manufacturer-approved cable. Once you forgo the over-priced chargers sold by the manufacturer of your product, there’s a shocking array of aftermarket chargers. Sadly, very few laboratories or agencies test these for the USB standard of precisely five volts. Most chargers come from China or other parts of Asia (other than Japan) without UL or the equivalent Canadian CSA safety certification.
If the price of a power supply/adapter looks unusually low, beware. Also, while house brands, such as Amazon Basics, often are a good buy, they rarely come with a safety guarantee.
Most power adapters incorporate a USB-A outlet, which is the largest and oldest of the multitude of USB ports. Many of the newer ones come with the latest tiny USB-C (3.1) port, which is becoming a world standard. The European Union insists that all new electronics requiring USB charging come with this port. It even is pressuring Apple to replace its lightning port with USB-C on new products.
Be sure to check the jack on your device to see which of the many USB sizes it requires. For example, you can’t charge your Kindle with the same plug that charges your new Android phone.
Depending upon how many devices you wish to power/charge at once, you can select power adapters with up to four outlets.
Keep in mind that if the manufacturer rates the adapter at 40 watts, and you simultaneously connect four devices to charge, each is only receiving 10 watts, which may slow down charging.
To further confuse the issue, the cable between the power adapter and your device plays a critical role. Some cheap cables come wired incorrectly or can’t carry the necessary wattage between the power adapter and your device. They can ruin the adapter and/or your device and in rare instances even catch fire.
At this point, you’re waiting for guidance concerning what brand to buy, but as mentioned, there are scores of brands, many with obscure names.
Some of the so-called name brands you see hanging at Target or Walmart are made on the same assembly lines as the unknown brands.
Anker is one Chinese brand that’s developed a very good reputation.
Spigen, best known for its phone cases, branched out into power supplies using the latest, most efficient Gallium Nitride technology. These work well for me thus far.
Two reliable review sources, CNET and the New York Times’ “Wirecutter,” recommend RAVPower, Anker and Spigen.
Gloss