Choosing a suitable charger for your phone has become more important than ever before as most smartphone companies now sell their phones without chargers in the box. This means that you will have to choose a new charger for your phone yourself. In order to choose the right charger, there are several requirements and standards that you need to pay attention to, which will help you choose the best and fastest charger for your phone. In this article, we explain the most important things in detail.
Requirements for Choosing the Right Phone Charger
When choosing a new charger or power bank for your phone, there are two main things to pay attention to. The first is the amount of power you need, which determines the charging speed. For example, smartphones usually range from 18 to 120 watts, while tablets can go up to 45 watts. Laptops, on the other hand, can be much higher, reaching up to 140 watts via USB-C cable, which can be used to charge almost all electronic devices. You can find out the power requirement for your phone by looking at the specifications of the phone, either on the box, in the specification sheets, or online.
After determining the appropriate power for your phone, you need to know another thing, which is the charging standard required to achieve this level of power. In general, there are three categories of charging standards for smartphones. The first is USB Power Delivery (USB PD), which is the most common for smartphones. Both Quick Charge 4 and 5 from Qualcomm are compatible with this standard, making them universal and suitable for supporting devices as well. As for wireless charging, the Qi standard is the equivalent option.
Sometimes smartphone companies design their own charging standard, which provides higher speeds than USB PD often but is only compatible with devices and sockets from that company. Examples of this include Warp Charge from OnePlus and VOOC from Oppo. There are also older standards still available in the market, such as pre-USB-C standards, found in low-powered devices and older phones like Quick Charge 3, Apple 2.4A, and Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging.
In general, most smartphones in the past two years come with the USB PD charging standard for regular charging and the Qi standard for phones that support wireless charging. You can also find out by looking at the phone specifications, whether on websites or official specification sheets that come with the phone. If, for example, your phone relies on a specific charging standard from the manufacturer, you will need an original charger from the same company, whether it’s the charger included in the box, a new charger, or even one of the old chargers you have available.
Read Also: Why It Matters to Know the Type of Charger You Use for Your Phone
How to Choose the Best Phone Charger
Now that you have learned about the correct charging standard for your phone and the amount of power you need, you can choose the appropriate charger based on that. Here, you will need to match the charging specifications of your phone with the specifications of the charger or power bank you are looking to purchase. It is always preferable to purchase original chargers, especially from the same manufacturer as the phone, as they will provide you with the best speed and quality, as well as preserve the battery for as long as possible.
Another thing to be aware of is that multi-port chargers work slightly differently, as each USB port often has a different charging standard. Not only that, but the amount of power supported by the charger is divided among the different ports when connecting multiple devices at the same time, often unequally. Therefore, you need to consider this so that you are not surprised by a lower charging speed than expected.
Finally, if you are looking to choose a charger that is compatible with most smartphones and electronic devices and works quickly, you can choose a charger that supports both USB Power Delivery PPS and Qualcomm Quick Charge, as this will cover most electronic devices. Also, you can choose a 60-watt charging power so that you can use it for smartphones, laptops, and other devices. Additionally, make sure to purchase original chargers from trusted companies like Anker and Aukey as they offer the best quality and performance in terms of charging speed, safety measures, and proper power handling with multiple devices.
Read Also: A Quick and Simple Step to Determine Whether Your Phone Charger is Original or Not
