Develop Bugs

[Q] Fast charging

I'm running the Galaxy Nexus with the extended battery. Curious if I could use a more powerful charger to charge faster.
The charger that came with the phone is a 5W (5V, 1000mA). Could I use an iPad 2 charger (10W) to charge up the nexus faster? Any experience with this?

I am pretty sure the phone regulates how fast it can charge. Some chargers that are only recognized as USB will charge slower than a recognized 'phone' charger. I experienced this with my fascinate when using a kindle charger. Using the more powerful iPad charger will almost certainly not charge your phone faster (because the phone probably allows a maximum charging input consistent with the dedicated 5w phone chargers), and may even charge slower as it is recognized as a USB power source and not a dedicated phone charger.

Which battery are u using the 2100 mah?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

Yeah, I'm using the extended battery (2100 mAh). But the question could be asked of either battery (1850 mAh or 2100 mAh).

tanner.jon said:
Yeah, I'm using the extended battery (2100 mAh). But the question could be asked of either battery (1850 mAh or 2100 mAh).
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Yea of course I was just saying that it doesnt seem worth it to me to get the 2100mah over the 1850 as u really won't be able to tell a huge difference in battery longevity unless u use the 3500 mah which is what I'm waiting for ever so patiently.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

Is there a way in ICS at the Galaxy Nexus to see if the Phone is in "USB" or "Charger" charging mode?
On my old Nexus One it showed in the preferences in system information which mode it is using for charging.
Or maybe see the actual mA instead of the mode would be ok too.

I don't have the extended battery, but I know if I charge my nexus with my playbook charger,its way faster than the charger that came with the phone... The iPad charger should charge your battery faster without damaging the phone or the battery.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

I wouldn't recommend the ipad2 charger.. used my gfs iPad charger the other day when I was in a pinch.. woke up to the phone burning hot..
Also it didn't charge fully after being on it for 7 hours.. go figure
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

rudoe said:
Is there a way in ICS at the Galaxy Nexus to see if the Phone is in "USB" or "Charger" charging mode?
On my old Nexus One it showed in the preferences in system information which mode it is using for charging.
Or maybe see the actual mA instead of the mode would be ok too.
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On my stock 4.0.2, Settings->About Phone->Status. Battery Status will show either AC or USB I think in parentheses. My phone is fully charged right now so I can't remember the exact wording.
---------- Post added at 12:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 PM ----------
joshnichols189 said:
I wouldn't recommend the ipad2 charger.. used my gfs iPad charger the other day when I was in a pinch.. woke up to the phone burning hot..
Also it didn't charge fully after being on it for 7 hours.. go figure
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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I use the iGo MicroJuice 2.1A Dual USB Auto Charger in my car with a generic micro USB charging cable. I had problems initially with my N1 using a data USB cable as it always "slow" charged and showed USB charging in the System Settings. With a charge only (data pins shorted I believe) cable, this USB adapter charges both my GN and my N1 as an AC source.
Remember that amperage is equivalent to water flow if analogies help. If the consumer can't or won't draw more current than the source can provide, amperage drops. So, plugging in a fully charged device where the device has shut off the charging circuit, an ammeter will show 0A.
Another consideration is that an AC USB charger is typically plugged into a source of 15-20A. There is no way that it is pulling that kind of current, hence, the connected ammeter would only show the real-time draw. The 2.1A car charger that I have is only the rated potential current. One of these days I'm going to strip down a USB charging cable and connect an ammeter and shoot a video of the phone charging from 0% to 100% displaying the ammeter and an application like Where's My Droid Power.
Sorry for the pontification...

Nexus 7 charger killed my gal nex

Kinda had a feeling to not use it as it's a higher voltage but it would charge my phone so much faster it felt like. Well now the phone will just reboot no matter what rom or stock rom I use. If it does get to boot up the screen starts flickering and you can tell something is wrong. It stays on fine in recovery or bootloader but nothing else. I can flash anything the problem is when it needs to boot up. It's very weird but sprint is sending another after they tried to tell me it's because it's rooted.

Wow good to know, almost used it last night to charge my gnex
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Strange. I've used sooo many different chargers everywhere I go and never had a problem. If its micro USB, I use it.

I used the n7 charger one time and I swore I smelled burning plastic or something....never again will I use it on my gnex.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Errrr . . . I actually suspect you've just stuffed yourself up some other stupid way. (or the charger you used isn't actually a Nex7 charger)
The Nex7 charger is not higher voltage. It's 5v, just like the GNex expects. It's a 2.1amp charger, compared to a 1amp one for the GNex, but that's irrelevant, as chargers don't "push" current to a phone - they'll only give it what it asks for, so using a 2amp charger with a device that expects a charger of 5v, 1amp, is not a problem - it'll just give it the 1 amp.

Yes he's ^^^ exactly correct. The voltage is the only concern here.. and it's 5v like every other USB charger should be.

I have charged my gnex into a 24 volt outlet an still didn't get problems lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

slayr76 said:
I have charged my gnex into a 24 volt outlet an still didn't get problems lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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Pics or it didn't happen
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

im guessing the issue lays someplace else too, not with the charger. i use my nexus 7 charger on my galaxy nexus every day, without burning smells or any other issues. id say ive used it at least 10 weeks in a row if not more.

hmmmm I use my Nexus 7's charger with my GNex all the time... and no issues

The only issue I've had with the N7 charger is the USB cord end is too fat and messed up my old charging port otherwise it was fine for weeks
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

I use an iPad 10w/5.1v charger to super fast charge my gnex all the time. Never had an issue. Only issue here is my gnex charger isn't as fast as this big beast of an iPad charger. Its your software, bro. Factory restore with gnex toolkit, youll be alright
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app

T.C.P said:
Pics or it didn't happen
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Even on 24 volt outlet the charger will only allow the correct voltage to pass, same way a surge protector works an yea I charge my gnex in my truck cigarette lighter adapter that gives off 24 volts.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

alexdemonumber3 said:
I use an iPad 10w/5.1v charger to super fast charge my gnex all the time. Never had an issue. Only issue here is my gnex charger isn't as fast as this big beast of an iPad charger. Its your software, bro. Factory restore with gnex toolkit, youll be alright
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA Premium HD app
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Did that same thing happens, maybe it is not the charger but pretty much it's something hardware no matter what software I load it reboots at random times and screen flickers. I was just using the phone one day and it rebooted and never stopped. Tried everything known to man to get this phone to work.
I also was using the nexus 7 charger for weeks and the only thing different was the usb cable is a blackberry but that should not matter.

I use my iPhone 5 charger

I use a kindle charger (and its long usb cable) to charge my gnex all the time.. and that thing is meant for all eink kindle models including the dx. No issues at all.
Have also used iPad charger, old gravity touch charger, iphone charger, 5v is 5v.. so don't really matter what charger you use .

I can confirm that I have used my n7 charger with an aftermarket cable/n7 cable/gnex cable about 20+ times n i never smelled any burning plastic/metal/rubber/carbon fiber. My gnex still performing exactly as b4, except the sucky 4.2 update, that is. That blows, big big time. I mean, i seriously had the desire to slam the damn thing in the wall so many times. But I digress.
Conclusion-Either I have a special super gnex, or n7 charger doesnt affect the gnex. charging speed=slighly increased though. slightly. like 15mins lesser.

I've used a nexus 7 charger with my gnex 50 times+, no issues.

I've had 3 Android devices and 3 chargers. I don't even know which is for which, but I've never had any problems with charging any device with any of the chargers.

Definitely no issues. I've been using Nexus 7 and Blackberry Playbook 2 ampere chargers without problem

Nexus 7 Doesn't Work With Third Party Chargers?

For some reason my new nexus 7 only works with the oem charger not my Galaxy S4 charger or other chargers. Anyone else have these issues?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Make sure it's the correct voltage and amperage. The oem charger spits out something like 1.3A. A lot of usb phone chargers output less than 1a
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

my S4 charger works

S2 charger works also.

As does the S3 and N7 Gen1.
So long as it's 1A or greater it'll work at about the same charge rate (1A = slower, and anything over 1.35A won't charge much faster).

I invested in this a while back...best charger I own....
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFQ9R0W/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried it on my Anker portable battery and it charged fine
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

It didn't work on a charger I had that had a "special" cable that only provided power and ground. When I used a normal USB cable, it worked fine, so it apparently wan't to see something more than just an open connection on the data lines before it will charge.

Its worked on any charger I threw at it including the iPad charger with a HTC cable. Wireless charging also works great with the Nokia one.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Works fine with my BB Playbook charger.

Obveron said:
Works fine with my BB Playbook charger.
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Anyone tried using the Apple 12W 2.4 apm charger?
Is it ok to use more powerful charger than the one it ships with?

More capacity charger won't be a "problem" as the device determines how much power to pull. Lesser capacity charges can sometimes overheat if not designed well.
Often devices capable of charging faster will only go into that mode if they detect the charger is capable of doing so. Since the way they determine this is not standardized, sometime high capacity charger charge slowly. This could be caused by something on the charger side, or even the cable being used.
Worse case of using a higher capacity charger is it won't charge at all, but that is pretty rare. Often it will charge, either at a slow or fast rate.

Faster Wall Charger (Updated with results)

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
.

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?

Evo_Shift said:
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?
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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.

The Galaxy S4 charger works great and really fast.

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.

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).

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.

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

cgg123321 said:
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
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Click to collapse
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.

mobileboost said:
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.
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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.

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

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?

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

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

kepapas said:
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
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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.

sluflyer06 said:
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
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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.

Vincent Law said:
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.
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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.

rican408 said:
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.
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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.

Vincent Law said:
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.
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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.

lg g2 charger works really well for me

nexus 7 charging fairly slow

Hi guys,
I just got my nexus 7 (2013) today (my dad brought one from the US, I live in Belgium) the performance is really good, but i noticed the battery charges slowly! Obviously I cannot use the included charge brick since it's a US charger and i need an EU charger so I'm using an IPad charger rated at 5.1v @ 2.1amps and my nexus 7 charges 7% in half an hour! I am using the included usb cable though, I already installed a custom ROM on it (paranoid android, with elementalX kernel with usb fast charge enabled) There is a chance i'm just not used to the big battery in the nexus 7 (my old tablet being 2200mah and my phone being 2375mah) or the device really doesn't like other charging bricks? Can anyone help me? I can easily get a US to EU power plug but I just want some answers from you guys first!
thanks,
noahvt

EDIT: fixed it by using my old tablet's charger