Do you have a 19.5V laptop charger and want to use it to charge your 19V laptop? You may be wondering since there is a difference between the two voltages will it damage the laptop.
The answer is that the two voltages are very close, 19.5V vs 19V will not matter as long as the other spec like the amperage rating on the charger is at least equal to what the laptop requires. It will be fine.
Chargers are “generic” – meaning that the same model is used for various laptops, even if they come with an OEM charger.
In this article, we will explain what you need to check before using a 19.5V charger on a 19V laptop.
Should You Use A 19.5V Charger For A 19V Device?
The answer is yes you can use a 19.5V charger instead of 19V if that is the only option available. The difference between the 2 voltages is not a lot to damage the laptop.
But let’s say you are in a situation where you are about to buy a new charger and you are seeing that a 19.5V charger is available at a lower price than 19V.
You might be wondering if it is worth it to save a few bucks and get the 19.5V charger instead.
In this situation, you should buy the 19V charger even if it costs you a bit more. If the option is available, always choose the charger that is made specifically for your laptop supplying the right voltage and other specs.
Things to notice
When using a different charger than what came with your laptop, you should pay attention to a few things in order not to damage your device.
Good Quality charger
The first thing you need to make sure of is that the charger is of good quality. It is not a random charger you found on the street with no brand indication. A good quality charger has proper insulation and is made of good materials.
It is also important that the charger comes with proper certifications like CE, FCC, and ROHS.
Check Amperage
Amperage is basically the amount of electrical current flowing through a circuit. In this case, since the voltage is different you should make sure that the current or amperage output is the same.
Make sure the current of the charger is the same or higher than that of the laptop. If the variation is small, like +/- 0.5 amps, it can be overlooked. But, if there is a big difference you should not use that charger.
Laptops draw current from the charger as needed. Current is pulled voltage is pushed.
Using a charger with higher amperage is perfectly fine if the voltage is the same as required by the laptop or if there is a minor difference. It just means that the charger is capable of supplying more current than what is required by the laptop.
For example, let’s say a laptop requires 3 amps but you are using a charger supplying 5 amps.
This won’t cause any problems because the laptop will take what it needs from the charger. In other words, it will utilize only 3 amps out of a total of 5 amps available to it.
You should avoid using a charger with a lower amperage than what your laptop or device requires.
For example, if the laptop requires 5 amps whereas the charger has a max capacity of 3 amps, it can cause problems.
The laptop will try to draw more current than what the charger is capable of supplying and this might damage both the charger and the laptop.
Check Connector Tip
The connector tip is the part of the charger that plugs into the laptop. It is important to make sure that the connector tip is compatible with your laptop.
Different laptops have different connector tip sizes. You should also double-check and validate that the pin and the slot are identical.
You don’t want to push a larger pin into a smaller slot and damage the charging port on your laptop.
Check polarity
Polarity is the direction of the current. You should check the polarity on the charger and check if it is the same as the original charger.
The laptop connector (or the original charger connector) must have the same polarity as the charger connector. The industry norm is “+” on the inside pin and “-” on the outside.
Conclusion
I hope you found this article helpful in theory, you can use a 19.5V charger on a 19V laptop since the difference is not that big.
But make sure to check the other specs like amperage and connector tip before using it. Also, it is always better to use the charger that came with your laptop or one that is specifically made for it.