Can using the wrong charger damage the battery?

XeNoN89 · 12 Jul 2013 at 16:57

I often charge my phone up with my tablet charger as it does the job quicker. Can this actually cause any problems with the battery such as causing it to hold less charge over time? The battery on my Nexus 4 seemed to deteriorate over the 8 months I owned it, but wasn't sure if it was an app or something physical. Don't want to risk it on my shiny new HTC One! :eek:

Phal · 12 Jul 2013 at 17:16

I'd imagine the manufacturers would prefer you stick to the specified power supplies but I guess damage would only be caused if the equipment couldn't handle the currently/voltage being supplied.

Most things these days are USB so the voltage tends to be the same afaik but current is what I've seen change. One charger I saw was at .5 amp whereas others were around 1 and a tablet one I saw was 2 amp.

XeNoN89 · 12 Jul 2013 at 17:19

Phal said:
I'd imagine the manufacturers would prefer you stick to the specified power supplies but I guess damage would only be caused if the equipment couldn't handle the currently/voltage being supplied.

Most things these days are USB so the voltage tends to be the same afaik but current is what I've seen change. One charger I saw was at .5 amp whereas others were around 1 and a tablet one I saw was 2 amp.

Yeah my Tablet is 2 and Phone is 1. I'm hoping it isn't a problem as it does charge it quite a bit quicker.

benjo · 12 Jul 2013 at 17:25

The charging current is controlled by the phone's kernel, so it shouldn't draw more than default even if you use a higher rated charger.

kona786 · 12 Jul 2013 at 17:29

I've used a 10W 2A charger on a HTC One, it only draws 1A. As said by benjo, controlled by the kernel.

He controls pretty much everything ;D

413x · 12 Jul 2013 at 18:24

^nice nugget of info .. ill get my coat

my Motorola razr maxx hd definitely charges faster from my 2a charger than from its 1A

Rroff · 13 Jul 2013 at 00:54

Most phones have protective circuitry that will stop them from charging if the voltage, etc. exceeds the rated levels tho its not foolproof. The max current draw usually is controlled (most phones modern smartphones IIRC will max around 1300-1400ma) and will go a bit higher than the standard charger usually but tbh its probably best to not exceed the standard charger as this is usually what the whole setup will have been tested around and higher levels may have unexpected issues.