There is a lot of confusion about using a higher wattage charger with a device than the original charger that came with it. Many people think it will damage the device or shorten its lifespan.
Some say it will burn the charging port. By the sound of it, it seems like it will damage the port, but is this true? Can you use a higher-wattage charger on your phone?
The fast answer is yes! It is perfectly safe to use any certified charger with higher wattage on your phone. This is because the device only uses the wattage it can take or needs.
So even if you use a charger with a higher wattage than what the device needs, it won’t use more than it can handle. If the voltage is constant( 5v), the circuit inside the phone will control the amount of current that will enter the battery.
In this article, we will explain why it is okay to use a charger supplying higher wattage than the original.
What Happens When You Charge Your Phone With A Higher Watt Charger?
To understand this, let’s take the example of a light bulb. What happens when you connect a 60-watt light bulb to the grid supply for your home, which has MEGAWATTS of power behind it?
The bulb will still use 60 watts, right? Because it is designed to use only 60 watts, that’s what it uses.
Same as a 60-watt light bulb. A phone uses what it needs from, let’s say, a higher amperage charger. The thing you are calling a charger is just a power supply.
So even if you use a 10W charger on a phone that requires 5W, The charger will not force 10W into the battery, but the phone will pull 5W out of the total, which is 10W in this case.
So you don’t have to worry about frying your phone when using a higher wattage charger with your phone.
The phone will only use what it needs from the total power that is available to it. But it will only work if the charger output is 5 volts or equal to what your phone requires.
The charger output voltage exceeding the phone’s requirements will damage the battery because it will result in the flow of too much amperage.
Is it okay to use a higher-watt charger?
Yes, it is okay to use a charger with a higher wattage on your phone. This is because as long as the voltage is the same(Equal to what the device requires), the phone will only use what it needs from the charger.
Phone chargers do not push power into a phone. Instead, it is the phone that pulls the required current from the charger.
On the other hand, Low amperage or watt chargers are a problem. Using lower wattage on your phone will not only slow down charging speed but will also damage your phone’s battery and power supply in the long run.
Voltage is pushed. Amperage is pulled
This is what you need to keep in mind before using a higher wattage charger on your phone, as wattage is a product of voltage and amperage ( W = V.A ).
You should not use higher voltage on your phone, but in the case of amperage, you are good if the output amperage is equal to or higher than what the phone requires.
Does higher wattage damage the battery?
No, Higher wattage does not damage the battery. The power rating of a charger has no bearing on the life of the battery or the consumption of power by the device.
A higher wattage charger only means that it can supply up to a specified amount of current; it does not mean that it will push that amount of wattage to the device.
As said earlier, the only way higher wattage can damage the battery is if the voltage is higher.
Using a 30W charger for a 10W phone
Yes, you can use a 30W charger for a 10W phone. As long as the voltage is the same as it will be if you are using a certified charger, you can use any charger you want without any problem.
Using a 33W or 25W charger on an 18W phone
Yes, you can use 33W and 25W chargers on an 18W phone. Even if you attached a charger with a watt rating of 40W, the phone would still only pull the amount of current it requires out of the total available.
A modern 18W phone is capable of drawing just the watts necessary to charge the battery.
You could use a 25W charger on an 18W phone. The phone would still be good because it has mechanisms for controlling the amount of current that will enter the battery.
So, if you use a 30W charger to charge an 18W phone, the phone will only utilize and charge at 18W.
Using A Higher Wattage Charger On A Laptop
Just like a smartphone, using a higher wattage charger on a laptop is also perfectly fine.
as long as several other conditions are met. For example, the output voltage must match the voltage required by the laptop, and the amperage has to be equal to or higher than the laptop’s amperage.
Conclusion
I hope you found this article helpful. To recap, it is perfectly safe to use any certified charger with a higher wattage on your phone. The device will only use what it needs from the total power that is available to it.
Higher wattage does not damage the battery because the phone has mechanisms for controlling the amount of current that will enter the battery.
Since wattage is a product of voltage and amperage, You should not use a higher voltage on your phone, but in the case of amperage, you are good as long as the output amperage is equal to or higher than what the phone requires.