Faster charging – without the tricks

Charging your phone each night for the day ahead has long been part of the daily grind. There’s no doubt phones are improving their energy efficiency, but no matter how well you plan, there’ll always come a time when you’re caught short and your phone is out of charge, you’ve lost the USB cable or even the USB adapter itself. No worries – any USB port in a storm, you say. Not if you want to maximise your phone’s charge speed, you don’t. There are plenty of fast-charging tricks available these days, but here’s the thing – every phone might be different, but no matter the brand, they’re all bound by the basic laws of electronics and if you understand the basics, you can put them to work for you. This month, we explain how USB charging works, we look at adapters and cables, what the hieroglyphics on your USB adapter mean – and how to maximise charge speed.

“While a phone will have a maximum charge current it can accept, USB adapters also have a maximum current they can deliver. ”

ALL ADAPTERS ARE THE SAME, RIGHT?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have gathered quite a collection of USB adapters over the last decade. They come in a range of shapes, but all with the same