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Replacement phone charger slow charge?

Hi Guys,

Quick question. I recently bought a couple of cheap usb plugs rated at 1A for use with my HTC desire X whose original charger is also rated at 1A.

They were cheap, and I know that, but they take ages to charge my phone, even when I use the genuine charging cable with them, and I specifically bought ones that supplied a higher current. The phone detects the input as USB rather than AC.

I emailed the seller and they apologised, said they tested each one before they sent them out and sent replacements, the replacements are exactly the same.

I'm not happy, but before I complain again I just wanted to get opinions if there is anyway that it is my phone to blame or would you say the chargers are definitely not providing the 1A they are supposed to.

The phone still chargers correctly using the original charger.

Thanks

Comments

  • Browntoa
    Browntoa Posts: 49,544 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    cheap chinese copies , always buy genuine chargers
    Ex forum ambassador

    Long term forum member
  • I always buy genuine or a 'known' 3rd party make like Griffin or Belkin from a trusted outlet. Costs a little more than no name chargers and cables but I prefer not to skimp too much on such things. Electronic devices aren't cheap so why risk them imo.
  • cookie365
    cookie365 Posts: 1,809 Forumite
    Few people will ever test the current on an ebay charger.

    So it's cheapest to make something that does the minimum and refund the few who moan.

    Why make every single piece match the description when most people won't check and won't care?
  • Fightsback
    Fightsback Posts: 2,504 Forumite
    Shrimply wrote: »
    Hi Guys,

    Quick question. I recently bought a couple of cheap usb plugs rated at 1A for use with my HTC desire X whose original charger is also rated at 1A.

    They were cheap, and I know that, but they take ages to charge my phone, even when I use the genuine charging cable with them, and I specifically bought ones that supplied a higher current. The phone detects the input as USB rather than AC.

    I emailed the seller and they apologised, said they tested each one before they sent them out and sent replacements, the replacements are exactly the same.

    I'm not happy, but before I complain again I just wanted to get opinions if there is anyway that it is my phone to blame or would you say the chargers are definitely not providing the 1A they are supposed to.

    The phone still chargers correctly using the original charger.

    Thanks

    Is your fire insurance fully paid up and have you got fresh batteries in your smoke detectors :)
    Science isn't exact, it's only confidence within limits.
  • While I'm so pleased you are all so concerned about my personal safety and that of my phone I can't help notice that with the exception of cookie who kinda summed up my thoughts on the matter, not one of you has even attempted to answer what I asked.

    All I'd like to know is if it is likely to be the phone causing problems due to it recognising non-manufacturer equipment etc rather than the product not being as advertised. I don't have a method to physically measure the voltage and current so I don't have actual proof.

    All I wanted is a cheap charger for in the office, it's only plugged in when I'm there and its an old phone, which in the highly unlikely case the charger blows it up I won't be overly worried about. I appreciate that sometimes cheaper is not best but replacement products from the manufacturer are usually overpriced and primarily because of the branding rather than anything else (I have a Chinese battery in it too, are you going to shoot me down for that? My phone might burst into flames in my pocket). It's all made in China in any case.

    If I needed to replace the original charger, to use in the way that I use that, I'd probably get a genuine HTC charger ( though how many of these sold on Amazon etc are just good fakes anyway). But this is for a different situation, I just need something that works. The socket sits right in front of my eye line so I don't have any worries for my safety or it burning the building down, although I guess it's nice so many of you do.
  • Fightsback
    Fightsback Posts: 2,504 Forumite
    edited 12 February 2015 at 1:10PM
    Shrimply wrote: »
    It's all made in China in any case.
    .

    There's "made in china" and there's "made in backstreet china"

    :D

    I do recall reading somewhere about what is being put out on the cheap chinese charger USB pins relating to it being seen as USB device, GIYF.
    Science isn't exact, it's only confidence within limits.
  • Shrimply
    Shrimply Posts: 869 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    OK, I'll accept that not everything build in China is equal...:p

    Google is very confusing, and there seems to be more speculation than anything else. There maybe something either missing or present at the charger which makes the phone think it's a computer USB port rather than a plug and has nothing to do with the A.

    I feel bad complaining and getting my money back after they've already sent replacements if there is nothing wrong with the charger.

    But, I wanted a quicker charger than plugging it into the computer and that hasn't happened. In the next week or so I'll have a USB 3.0 ports available, so maybe these will offer a faster charger without me buying anything else although I'm not holding my breath.
  • paddyrg
    paddyrg Posts: 13,543 Forumite
    The USB standard states 500mA, anything else is a manufacturer bodge. They typically do this by holding one of the data pins to a specific voltage to tell the phone that it can ask the charger for more power without the charger melting down. I've had varying success with off-brand high-power chargers, the most consistent being the dearer, better made ones TBH.
  • Shrimply
    Shrimply Posts: 869 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Thanks Paddy, that is about the clearest I've seen it put. Either you have a good idea what you are talking about or are very good at sounding convincing ;)

    So in conclusion, the plug could well be outputting 1A but if it's not sophisticated enough to tell the device this those extra 500mA are completely useless. Interesting, I think i'll cut my loses and stick with using the laptop USB port for now.

    It's funny, I looked up reviews of similar devices and on Amazon they generally get good reviews. I'd have thought if this was common place people would be more annoyed about the slow charging speed. I guess it's maybe common for people to charger their phones over night etc and so they don't really notice.

    Me... I like to charge my phone at the office so it's their electricity and not mine, would just be nice to do it quickly.
  • flicks
    flicks Posts: 199 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts
    I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 which sometimes suffers this problem when used with the provided charger/lead.


    It is a common problem mentioned on many forums.


    I find that the only way I can resolve this issue is to keep turning the wall socket on and off until the charging status changes on the device from USB to AC. This can take many attempts.


    Not saying your charger isn't the problem as it may well be but it's not necessarily the case.
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