Charge via wall or USB?

[Cs342]

Recently I've read a lot of posts that suggest that USB charging is a lot safer, but for me it takes ages to fully charge my phone. So what are the actual advantages and disadvantages of just using a wall charger?

[Glenwing]

Using a wall charger is perfectly safe. USB ports supply 500 milliamps of power whereas wall chargers can supply 1-2 amps (depending on the charger). If you have a reasonable quality wall charger it will probably charge your device faster.

[Top Stig]

I agree, usb chargers (through computers) will typically take longer than plugging it into a wall. However, newer usb ports have "powered" capability where they are given more voltage to charge devices quicker.

[m0n5t3r]

USB Charger through the PC.

Wall maybe faster, but it isn't "safe"

From the wall, you rely on the little power brick to regulate the voltage and other things to lower the voltage output to your device, so any kind of failure or spike can for bad for your device.

A USB chargers pull power from the USB ports, which is supplied power from the PSU. It's a much more delicate as it has to provide the correct amount of voltage to the components (Within a very mild margin of error) so it provide a more stable voltage output. Generally safer.

[MeltyMoon]

Linus was talking about this at one point actually, I think it was on one of the livestreams. Charging from the wall can actually hurt your overall battery life in the long run, even if you charge it to 100% then disconnect it, it's because the amperage does fluctuate and this lowers the max capacity of the battery. Charging from the USB port is steady and better for the battery.

[Guest]

There are ups and downs. If you have a laptop or a desktop without a dedicated charging port, devices that have larger batteries like the iPad 3 & 4 will take quite a while to charge whereas using the 2amp high current charger that comes with the devices will get you done quicker. On the other hand, wall chargers can tend to fluctuate their output voltages though from personal experience I don't see this as being a huge issue. A battery doesn't maintain it's voltage at a locked 5 or 12v at all so what's the matter if you're charging at 11.85 volts?

[mottledleek]

And quick charging a battery rather than slow charging it will kill the battery faster.

Trickle charge takes the slowest but is the best way to preserve a rechargeable battery.

[Cs342]

Is there any way to speed up USB charging? Several apps claim to be able to do this but I'm not sure if they're safe.

[Guest]

Apps won't be able to do it. Fastest way is either from the wall or straight off the motherboard, preferably in a high power USB port. Splitters and the like will have a lower current so they will charge slower.

[Sauber-C10]

Your house (wall sockets) are a parallel circuit, therefore voltage (p.d.) is conserved so all wall sockets are 240v (in UK) however charging from the wall is worse for your battery as current is split between each electrical appliance connected and on, therefore current can fluctuate causing irregular charging of the battery and increasing the battery temperature therefore causing electrical energy to be wasted as heat, basically

[Cs342]

Your house (wall sockets) are a parallel circuit, therefore voltage (p.d.) is conserved so all wall sockets are 240v (in UK) however charging from the wall is worse for your battery as current is split between each electrical appliance connected and on, therefore current can fluctuate causing irregular charging of the battery and increasing the battery temperature therefore causing electrical energy to be wasted as heat, basically

How much real world battery degradation am I going to see from charging through the wall? Also, is it okay to leave the phone on when charging or should I turn it off?

[DLM_012]

Wall charging is always quicker for me.

[dklhs90]

When my 6400mAh Note 2 battery was at 12% I charged it from the wall and in 1 hour it jumped to 99% battery.

[xeks]

Wall charging + surge protector or USB, all the same in safety if you can have some sort of filter between the juice and your device. Takes my GS3 about an hour to fully charge from empty whether it be from USB or the wall.

[Cs342]

So would I actually damage my battery from using a wall socket?

[xeks]

So would I actually damage my battery from using a wall socket?

 

In the event of a power surge, you could fry your phone. That's why some people like to charge via usb on their computer since the power supply sort of acts like a surge protector and the usb port puts out a constant variable of electricity.

[LinusTech]

Slick has noticed that his Galaxy S3 seems to hold its charge better when he uses the Samsung wall wart versus using a USB cable and a computer... Not sure if it's just an anomaly.

[xeks]

Slick has noticed that his Galaxy S3 seems to hold its charge better when he uses the Samsung wall wart versus using a USB cable and a computer... Not sure if it's just an anomaly.

 

I get about 9 hours of heavy use no matter how I charge it, could be his battery. IDK.

[dklhs90]

I get about 9 hours of heavy use no matter how I charge it, could be his battery. IDK.

There is no way you can get 9 hours with heavy use. I know because I am a T-ALL cancer patient and when I was on a hospital bed for 1.5 months I used my S3 to watch fun stuff for 16 Hours everyday using up to over 19GB of data and the battery could not hold the charge. I always had to plug the charger so that the battery didn't run out. So, I got the Note 2 which has a better battery but it still was not enough for me therefore I got the mugen battery.

[xeks]

I'm always using data but not watching videos, still lasts me 9 hours.

[Cs342]

So final verdict: USB or wall?

[orangecat]

Always charge from a USB on your computer never use the wall because like 90% of USB wall chargers they will provide crappy power that will charge the battery fast but the amount the battery can hold will fall fast. I have a shitty smart phone that I have always charged over USB since day one and it lasts longer than a iPhone 4 that has been using the wall charger.

[prodigydoo]

Really i think the difference it makes is insignificant.. Maybe over charging from a wall over a year you might see it having some problems but with most phones you can replace the battery and really.. how long are you actually going to keep that phone anyway..

 

If you really feel it nessesary to charge your phone from your computer, just plug it into your computer overnight (assuming you have a motherboard that supports that kind of charging :/

[Andri]

Using a wall charger is completely safe but it may reduce battery health

 

Wall Charger

-Slowly Damages Battery (Over like 2 years)

-Is though faster

-Can't make it backup everytime you use it

 

USB

-Does not Damage Battery over time

-About Half as fast

-Can backup your phone while in usage

 

-Andri :)

[Cs342]

Would plugging it into a USB 3.0 port make it charge faster?