Are phone and tablet chargers universal?

SeduLOUs

donnajunkie wrote: »

Will the charger with my dads phone charge his tablet? Alternatively he has an iPad, can the iPads charger charge his Samsung tablet?

Yes and No.

If it fits it will charge - I guess both Samsung devices are mini USB (google search for an image of a mini USB to check the end bit you stick in the devices are the same).

iPad charger won't work. Apple have their own connection type which is different to the USB that you can see just by looking at them. You can still buy third-party chargers that are designed for and work for Apple products (I have ones made by Amazon Basics and Panasonic for example).

Robisere

We have the following Android devices: 2 Wileyfox phones, a Kindle, a Lenovo tablet and a Hudl2.
The phones can use any chargers except the Kindle and Lenovo. The Lenovo and Hudl can use each other's charger, but the Hudl charges faster with its own.
(BTW, the Hudl is faster in use, has better WiFi and better screen than the much newer Lenovo.)

SouthUKMan

donnajunkie wrote: »

Will the charger with my dads phone charge his tablet? Alternatively he has an iPad, can the iPads charger charge his Samsung tablet?

The short answer to both questions is yes. However, without seeing the amp rating of both products it's difficult to say how slow or fast either option will work. As a general rule, a charger designed for an iPad (with a high capacity battery) is likely to deliver a greater number of amps than a charger designed for a smart phone (with a smaller capacity battery).

So, personally I would use the iPad charger for the Samsung phone. The USB lead for your Samsung phone should fit the iPad charger plug with no problem.

Strider590

The charger current rating isn't the measure of charging rate, it's more like a speed limit. If an Android device detects a voltage drop due to resistance in the charging cable, it ramps down the charging rate regardless of the charger.

It's something like (just to illustrate what i'm talking about):
5v = maximum current
4.9v = 1A
4.8v = 600mA
4.7v = 500mA

If a cable has a resistance of even just a few ohms, this will drop the voltage at the device end of the cable. I other words the output at the charger is still 5v, but at the phone end it could be as little as 4.7v.

For my phone & tablet I have special 20cm long, braided high current USB cables for when I need to charge quickly.

donnajunkie

esuhl wrote: »

As above, assuming it's a USB cable you're using, any charger should work.

The official USB specification (v1.00 and v2.00) is 5V DC at 500mA.

Chargers often exceed 500mA so that devices charge quicker. Devices only draw the current/power they can use, so using a "high" power charger won't cause any damage. Using a "low" power charger just means that it will take longer to recharge.

The charger/plug probably has the current rating printed on it.

How old is the battery? Is it possible that it's starting to lose its ability to store charge, thus needing more frequent charging?

I think the tablets a couple of years old. I noticed that the charger used to feel warm while charging, now when it’s charging it feels cool.

donnajunkie

SeduLOUs wrote: »

Yes and No.

If it fits it will charge - I guess both Samsung devices are mini USB (google search for an image of a mini USB to check the end bit you stick in the devices are the same).

iPad charger won't work. Apple have their own connection type which is different to the USB that you can see just by looking at them. You can still buy third-party chargers that are designed for and work for Apple products (I have ones made by Amazon Basics and Panasonic for example).

USB cables are detachable. I know the connector on the iPads cable that goes into the tablet is different. I would just use the Samsung tablets cable with the iPad charger because the slot at the chargers end are all the standard usb design. Being clueless I just didn’t want to try a different one and cause a fault in either the charger or the tablet. Or worse a fire.

esuhl

donnajunkie wrote: »

I think the tablets a couple of years old. I noticed that the charger used to feel warm while charging, now when it’s charging it feels cool.

Hmmm... I haven't come across anything like that before. Chargers tend to run forever, being as warm or cool as they ever were. But maybe I just haven't noticed. :-/

As a randomly uniformed stab-in-the-dark... Maybe the battery has degraded to the point where its internal resistance is so high that it can no longer be rapidly recharged. So the current draw is lower, the charger isn't working as hard (so it's cooler), and the tablet takes a long time to charge, but runs out of power quickly.

Or maybe the charger or cable is faulty...? I can only guess, I'm afraid. :undecided

donnajunkie

esuhl wrote: »

Hmmm... I haven't come across anything like that before. Chargers tend to run forever, being as warm or cool as they ever were. But maybe I just haven't noticed. :-/

As a randomly uniformed stab-in-the-dark... Maybe the battery has degraded to the point where its internal resistance is so high that it can no longer be rapidly recharged. So the current draw is lower, the charger isn't working as hard (so it's cooler), and the tablet takes a long time to charge, but runs out of power quickly.

Or maybe the charger or cable is faulty...? I can only guess, I'm afraid. :undecided

Perhaps it’s the battery. I just saw a few things about people having issues with slow charging and the responses tended to suggest it was the charger.

donnajunkie

If it were the battery what is the process to get it replaced and how costly is it?

DCFC79

What might cause an issue is if you buy a charger that is A fake or B it isnt to UK standards, or a cable is poorly made.