Didn’t Get A Charger With Your New Phone? These Are Your Options
January 31, 2021
Apple made the ‘bold’ move of omitting the power brick with each packaging of its iPhone 12 models. The rationale behind the decision was to reduce e-waste that would eventually end up in landfills. The consensus here is, most of us already have usable chargers, so why would we need to collect more of them?
Android manufacturers had a dig at Apple for this, but the jiving was short lived. They have now followed in Apple’s footsteps, by offering the wall chargers for their flagship phones as “optional accessories” that would need to be purchased for an extra fee. As infuriating as that maybe, it is soon becoming the new normal.
As such, we are left with little choice but to adapt to this new ‘trend’. Each smartphone model has a specified charging power measured in watts(W). Devices like the Samsung Galaxy S21+ are rated at 25W. This is the maximum useable power it can receive from a wall charger to charge the battery. However, this might not be the case for every other phone out there.
Now, you don’t have to use a 25W wall charger, a less powerful one will do. But bear in mind that lower powered chargers will take substantially longer to charge your phone. For example, a 15W charger may take more than 2 hours to fully charge an S21+, whereas a 25W one should be able to complete the task in about an hour.
What are your options?
#1 Check your current charger’s specifications to see if it’s up to ‘code’.
The best way to know if your current charger is sufficient is to check its output rating. Some manufacturers state the wattage on the label. But most of them prefer to break that down into Volts and Amperes. Essentially, this is how its calculated;
Watts (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A)
As such, multiplying the output voltage and current should give you a rough estimate of the actual power that the wall charger can deliver. The closer it is to the smartphone’s maximum power standard, the better.
#2 Buy A Wireless Charger
This is the most practical option but it’s also the most costly. Wireless chargers command a much higher MSRP compared to the humble power brick. But having the ability to place your smartphone on a charging pad and instantly have it begin charging, is the kind of convenience we need.
Most of them operate on the Qi (pronounced “chee”) wireless charging standard. Bear this in mind, when picking one that’s right for you. There are other charging standards out there such as the PMA (Power Matters Alliance) that might not be compatible for your phone. Phones like the S21+ are compatible with both Qi and PMA standards.
However, wireless chargers are built to cater to a wide range of smartphones. Therefore, it would be highly unlikely to find one that’s just right for you. The most widely available ones are usually about 10W and 15W. But there’s another caveat. For your phone to take advantage of the charger’s full abilities, it needs to be rated for it. The Samsung Galaxy S21+ is rated for 15W wireless charging.
# 3 Buy A New Charger
If your charger isn’t good enough, then you might have to bite the bullet and buy a new one. This is esecailly true of you’re upgrading from a mid-range phones that aren’t equipped with fast charging technology. It’s a bizzare thing to worry about, but then again nothing has been normal since 2020.
