Maximizing the Battery Charge Rate
Smartphones have become a necessity to our everyday lives. We rely on them for multiple tasks throughout the day but when it comes to charging the devices, we’re pretty impatient. In this article, we’re going to discuss some tips that can help you maximize the battery charge rate of your phone so that you can spend less time charging, and more time using.
There are many factors that affect the speed at which your phone charges:
- The adapter
- The cable
- Apps
- Settings
- Quick Charge Technology Compatibility
The Adapter
A common misconception is that all adapters are the same; as long as it’s compatible, it’ll charge at the same rate. Wrong. Every adapter is different and will provide you with a specific charging voltage and amperage. If you take a close look at your adapter, it’ll give you an “output.” For the quickest charge, you want an adapter with an output between 1.8A – 2.4A. You can find adapters with this rating on Amazon. Avoid the 1A adapters as they will easily cut your charging speed in half. Preferably, you even want to find an adapter with adaptive charging technology, which means the adapter will adjust according to your phone and provide the best possible output. These are the best adapters to buy.
Charging Cable
Like the adapter piece, the cable is just as important and not all of them are the same. If you’ve ever purchased a cable from a convenience store or gas station, you might’ve noticed that it charges your phone at unbearable speeds, that’s because those cables are cheap and made of low-quality parts.
Cables vary in USB charging current depending on what kind of material it’s made up of. You want to use the cable that came originally with your phone or alternatively purchase one from a reputable source.
To be honest, I always like to buy Anker-brand cables to replace my stock cables because they’re made with highest-quality materials, and they’re very durable. You can purchase them from Amazon or from their official website.
Quick Charge Technology
If you have a phone that was released within the past few years, it may have something called “Quick Charge Technology” (or fast charging technology). If that’s the case, make sure that your adapter is compatible with Quick Charge and you’ll be able to reap benefits of the technology. Quick Charge 3.0 currently offers 4x the battery charge rate of traditional charging. The upcoming Quick Charge 4.0 is said to deliver 5 hours of battery life for 5 just 5 minutes of charging.
If you’re a heavy phone user, it’s definitely worth it to get a fast charging smartphone to massively cut charging times. This technology is only available to Android phones, however, since Apple devices charge quickly as it is!
Apps
Phone applications will drain your battery as long as they’re open. Even though it may not seem like it, there’s still some background activity going on that is contributing to the draining of your phone battery. You want to close off as many unnecessary apps as you can before you charge your phone so that they won’t slow down the charging process.
Settings
Turning off certain settings such as data, WiFi, Bluetooth will drastically boost your charge speed as those two functions drain your battery the most. When those features are turned on, they’re actively searching for networks. Turning on “airplane” mode will turn off all signals on your phone to give you the optimal charging speed.
Conclusion
To maximize the battery charge rate of your device, you need to pay attention to all of the factors mentioned above. Make sure you get a good adapter (with Quick Charge if supported) and charging cable, close all apps, and turn off all of the network settings that you’re not using. You’ll notice that your phone will charge much faster if you follow everything from this post.
