Faster Wall Charger (Updated with results)

[Datsun.510]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted a faster and better charger for my Nexus 5. After doing some research I came up with the following possibilities:


From Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Tech-Armor-Charger-Watts-Black/dp/B00CD0HGDE

http://www.amazon.com/iXCC-Charger-Charging-Samsung-Package/dp/B00FCISG6K

http://www.amazon.com/EZOPower-Charger-Adapter-Smartphone-Cellphone/dp/B00EDU5X6Y


All these chargers have 2 USB ports, which they are great if you need to charge two devices at once. They will charge 2.1A from one port and 1A from the other. My problem with all these is that they are bulky and two of them have ports that come out of the back. It can be difficult to use if you want to plug your charger lets say behind your bed or similar tight places. That is one of the reasons why I don't like the stock Nexus 5 charger as the USB cable comes out of the back and its only 1.2A



From eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-BlackBe...o-USB-Compatible-Phones-Tablets-/200976069483

This charger is exactly what I'm looking for because its small, the cable comes out of the side, and the output is 1.8A which is greater than the stock Nexus 5 charger. Plus at $3.99 & free shipping for a new charger is not a bad deal. Since this is an OEM Blackberry product the quality is excellent. Cable is around 7ft long.


Bought me two of them, one for the office and one for home.



Will post my results as soon as I receive the charger. Will test how much current the Nexus 5 can pull.






Update with results:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47468074&postcount=22

Update 2nd test:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47501470&postcount=24




.

 

[Evo_Shift]

Won't phones and batteries only pull the number of amps they are designed to pull? I didn't think it mattered how many amps a charger could proveide as long as it has enough?

 

[Datsun.510]

Won't phones and batteries only pull the number of amps they are designed to pull? I didn't think it mattered how many amps a charger could proveide as long as it has enough?

I had tablets chargers that I would use on my Nexus 4 and the phone would charge a lot faster than the stock charger that came with it. I'll do some testing and will report my conclusion once I receive it.

 

[tietherope]

The Galaxy S4 charger works great and really fast.

 

[james11417]

Meh, the stock charger is 1.2A so that's what I figure the fastest it will charge.

I had an SGS3 and using my dad's Note 2's 2A charger, I was still only drawing out 1A, which is what the SGS3's charger came with.

 

[Vincent Law]

The Nexus 5 comes with a 1.2 amp charger. I HIGHLY doubt it's actually capable of charging any faster than that (it'd be a lot of heat for such a small device).

 

[ru-dmitry]

Charging amperage is specified by the device not the charger. Value on a charger is the maximum amperage it is able to produce. This means that Nexus 4 or 5 will not get more than 1.2A even from a 2A charger.

 

[cgg123321]

If the phone is designed to charge at 1.2A, it will charge at 1.2A max. HOWEVER, not all chargers are 100% efficient. That means your phone may not charge at a constant 1.2A through the stock charger if it is not 100% efficient. That is why you notice faster charging speeds using a 2A charger.

If you don't believe me, get an app like battery monitor widget and look at the power input when you are charging.

This is what I use: http://www.amazon.com/Anker®-Dual-Port-Charger-Samsung-Motorola/dp/B00B8L36A6

Anker is a very good brand

 

[mobileboost]

If the phone is designed to charge at 1.2A, it will charge at 1.2A max. HOWEVER, not all chargers are 100% efficient. That means your phone may not charge at a constant 1.2A through the stock charger if it is not 100% efficient. That is why you notice faster charging speeds using a 2A charger.

If you don't believe me, get an app like battery monitor widget and look at the power input when you are charging.

This is what I use: http://www.amazon.com/Anker®-Dual-Port-Charger-Samsung-Motorola/dp/B00B8L36A6

Anker is a very good brand

My Nexus 5 charges quickly with the charger that it came with. It is 1.2A. I purchased a new car charger that is also 1.2A now. It seems to work well.

 

[cgg123321]

My Nexus 5 charges quickly with the charger that it came with. It is 1.2A. I purchased a new car charger that is also 1.2A now. It seems to work well.

I actually just got my nexus 5 today so I can't comment on the included charger. I was talking about my old galaxy note and htc desire. There was a site that reviewed the efficiency of chargers but I forgot the name of the site.

 

[nagle3092]

I use my Nexus 7 charger (2A) and it charges way faster than the stock. They are only $15 on amazon too.

 

[rican408]

My HP chrome book has a charger rated at 3 amps. Charges the phone crazy fast. I remember seeing these threads and how people said it doesn't matter what the output is blah blah blah. It works. I just wonder what effect it has on the battery? I think its supposed to last longer if you charge it slowly correct?

 

[kepapas]

I use nexus 7 charger. Takes around 15 min to fully charge at 70 percent

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

 

[sluflyer06]

Everyone is saying "its faster" but nobody has bothered to mention what faster is.

From 15%, I saw 100% charge in just 2 hours with Qi so I think these phones charge fast in general since Qi is only 1 am output.

If we could stick to real #s going forward then this thread would have some value.

First establishing some baselines with stock charger is essential. Also remember only some fuel gauges support actual current measuring and many apps attempt to calculate current by looking at voltage over time.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

 

[andrawer]

I use nexus 7 charger. Takes around 15 min to fully charge at 70 percent

Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Thanks...since I left my N5 charger in a hotel (!) I was having trouble finding a replacement 1.2a charger. So gave up that hunt and just got the Nexus 7 charger on Amazon.

 

[Vincent Law]

Everyone is saying "its faster" but nobody has bothered to mention what faster is.

From 15%, I saw 100% charge in just 2 hours with Qi so I think these phones charge fast in general since Qi is only 1 am output.

If we could stick to real #s going forward then this thread would have some value.

First establishing some baselines with stock charger is essential. Also remember only some fuel gauges support actual current measuring and many apps attempt to calculate current by looking at voltage over time.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

We don't need no stinkin' science in here!

A lot of people just assume their phone is charging faster because they're using a faster charger. Placebo at work.

Folks, if you want to properly determine whether a charger over 1.2 amps is worthwhile you need to do a proper test and remove all the variables:

1. Put the phone in airplane mode and shut down all apps and services. Best if you do this from a clean factory reset so the tests are on equal footing. Any apps using the phone will draw on the battery and influence the test negatively for that charger.
2. Up to 15 minute charging variances are normal. It's a chemical reaction inside of the battery, it's not going to be that consistent.
3. Make sure to charge from the exact same percentage level.
4. REPEAT THE TEST at least 3 times. If the test shows dramatic outliers, perform extra tests and make sure the test is consistent.

Does that sound like a lot of work? Yeah, but it's the only way you can actually make an assertion that one phone charger is faster than another.

 

[rican408]

We don't need no stinkin' science in here!

A lot of people just assume their phone is charging faster because they're using a faster charger. Placebo at work.


Folks, if you want to properly determine whether a charger over 1.2 amps is worthwhile you need to do a proper test and remove all the variables:

1. Put the phone in airplane mode and shut down all apps and services. Best if you do this from a clean factory reset so the tests are on equal footing. Any apps using the phone will draw on the battery and influence the test negatively for that charger.
2. Up to 15 minute charging variances are normal. It's a chemical reaction inside of the battery, it's not going to be that consistent.
3. Make sure to charge from the exact same percentage level.
4. REPEAT THE TEST at least 3 times. If the test shows dramatic outliers, perform extra tests and make sure the test is consistent.

Does that sound like a lot of work? Yeah, but it's the only way you can actually make an assertion that one phone charger is faster than another.

No. This is exactly what I'm talking about. I charge my phone all the time. And the second I used this charger and consistently from then on the phones charges about 1/3 faster. I really don't care what is "supposed" to happen. It just works. I get my charger back on Friday and I will prove it. The battery usage shows a giant spike. Upwards compared to the more gradual spike with the stock charger. My Google edition HTC one used to barely charge while playing games with the stock charger and now it charges as fast as stock when I wasn't even using it.

 

[Vincent Law]

No. This is exactly what I'm talking about. I charge my phone all the time. And the second I used this charger and consistently from then on the phones charges about 1/3 faster. I really don't care what is "supposed" to happen. It just works. I get my charger back on Friday and I will prove it. The battery usage shows a giant spike. Upwards compared to the more gradual spike with the stock charger. My Google edition HTC one used to barely charge while playing games with the stock charger and now it charges as fast as stock when I wasn't even using it.

The HTC One's stock charger was only 1 amp, not 1.2 amps. It was clearly capable of charging faster, this phone not so much.

 

[rican408]

The HTC One's stock charger was only 1 amp, not 1.2 amps. It was clearly capable of charging faster, this phone not so much.

I was actually using the 1.2a charger from my nexus 4 as the "stock" charger. For the same reason, I know more is better.

 

[spadeace9]

lg g2 charger works really well for me