Wall charger specs

[tinpanalley]

A couple of years ago I learned (with a lot of help from people here) about how to choose a portable battery for charging while away from home. So, now I have a similar question about wall chargers.
In the better quality ones (Anker, AUKey, etc) there is an emphasis on wattage. I need to understand how that plays into the use of a wall charger.

What I have:
- cell phones with chargers rated at 5V and 1A output. (One says 1.1A but I hardly think that matters)
- tablets one that needs 5V / 1A and the other 5V / 2A
- The PS4 controller charges at 5V / 0.8A

What I need:
- a wall charger with 2 USB ports
- I'd like each one to be able to send out 5V / 2A from each port. There may be other devices soon, I just want to be prepared
- If possible, Qualcom QuickCharge ports because while the current phones don't support, future ones might.

So, why will I be interested in two chargers I see that say 24W or 31.5W. What is that effectively telling me?

Thanks!

 

[JackTheBear]

Plain old USB 2.0 used in standard micro usb charging systems is rated for 5V.
USB-C and newer forms of Quickcharge support more than 5V operation, which leads to higher numbers.

Watts = Volts X Amps, so 5V X 2A = 10W.
5V X 2.4A = 12W (This would be for one port. Two ports at 2.4A would double this to 24W)

Without knowing what chargers you're looking at, you can't tell what the 24W and 31.5W means. 24W might be 2 X 2.4A X 5V, or it could be 1 low Amp port + 1 QC port, so maybe 1.1A X 5V + a QC3.0 Port, or it could be something else.

 

[tinpanalley]

Firstly thanks for the response. Very helpful.

5V X 2.4A = 12W (This would be for one port. Two ports at 2.4A would double this to 24W)

Ok, so then I want one that's at least 24W as long as they say they can output that out of two ports at the same time. The way my charging dock can.

Without knowing what chargers you're looking at, you can't tell what the 24W and 31.5W means. 24W might be 2 X 2.4A X 5V, or it could be 1 low Amp port + 1 QC port, so maybe 1.1A X 5V + a QC3.0 Port, or it could be something else.

In the case of the one I'm looking at, they're both IQ ports capable of up to 2A at 5V at the same time.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Firstly thanks for the response. Very helpful.
Ok, so then I want one that's at least 24W as long as they say they can output that out of two ports at the same time. The way my charging dock can.
In the case of the one I'm looking at, they're both IQ ports capable of up to 2A at 5V at the same time.

Most aftermarket decent chargers nowadays will give you the maximum non-standard 12 watts per USB 2.0 Port. (The "Apple" standard of 2.4 Amps, or 12 watts) on each port. The more ports, or the more higher end ports (Qualcomm Quick-Charge or USB Type C Power Delivery), the more likely that it's oversubscribed (it can't provide maximum power to all ports simultaneously). The PowerPort II 2 Port model is cheap and ticks all your boxes minus Quick Charge. The older Power Port 2 gives you a Quick Charge Port.

It's worth noting that almost inevitably, the future of fast charging is in USB Type C Power Delivery. It's standardized and fully available vs. Qualcomm's Quick Charge. If you're only investing in 1 technology, I'd recommend buying chargers with USB PD support vs. Quick Charge.

 

[tinpanalley]

It's worth noting that almost inevitably, the future of fast charging is in USB Type C Power Delivery. It's standardized and fully available vs. Qualcomm's Quick Charge. If you're only investing in 1 technology, I'd recommend buying chargers with USB PD support vs. Quick Charge.

Thanks, great advice! I have no USB-C devices now but I suppose it's a bit of an inevitablility. I sort of wish everybody just went back to miniUSB. Micro seems to have served no purpose ten years ago other than to have forced people to buy new phones when they inevitably damaged their micro ports and to show off how small you could make a plug. (I'm sure it has other benefits, I'm being facetious.)

Funny you mentioned the PowerPort II as it's exactly what I was looking at. Now to see if something like it also has USB PD support.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Thanks, great advice! I have no USB-C devices now but I suppose it's a bit of an inevitablility. I sort of wish everybody just went back to miniUSB. Micro seems to have served no purpose ten years ago other than to have forced people to buy new phones when they inevitably damaged their micro ports and to show off how small you could make a plug. (I'm sure it has other benefits, I'm being facetious.)

Funny you mentioned the PowerPort II as it's exactly what I was looking at. Now to see if something like it also has USB PD support.

Yep the PowerPort II (with USB Power Delivery) is a 1 USB + 1 Type C port. It's worth noting that Type-C is backwards compatible for charging purposes, and you can connect a device with a USB Type C -> Micro USB cable (or USB Type C to Type A adapter) to get standard 2.4 Amp charging from the port. If you want more than 2 2.0 USB ports, then Anker makes the PowerPort Speed PD 5 that does USB Type C + 4 standard USB ports.

 

[tinpanalley]

It's worth noting that Type-C is backwards compatible for charging purposes, and you can connect a device with a USB Type C -> Micro USB cable (or USB Type C to Type A adapter) to get standard 2.4 Amp charging from the port.

Oh, ok, I just understood what you said. That although I wanted 2 USB2.0 ports, you're saying I can get a UCB-C to Micro cable and use that anyway just fine. And then one day when I have a device with C I'm ready, is that it? If that's the case, I'd rather just let that come when the time comes. But thanks for your advice! I'll pick up the regular PowerPort II and just make sure I'm at least getting 5V/2A from 2 ports at a time. That'll serve me for a long time.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Oh, ok, I just understood what you said. That although I wanted 2 USB2.0 ports, you're saying I can get a UCB-C to Micro cable and use that anyway just fine. And then one day when I have a device with C I'm ready, is that it? If that's the case, I'd rather just let that come when the time comes. But thanks for your advice! I'll pick up the regular PowerPort II and just make sure I'm at least getting 5V/2A from 2 ports at a time. That'll serve me for a long time.

Right, remember all you're talking about is time in the section where you need to plug in. Just like you can get a Type-C to micro-USB cable, you can also get a USB -> Type-C cable for charging a Type-C phone on a standard charger. In fact, every Type-C phone I know of comes with such a cable if for no other reason than the fact that Type-C ports are still pretty rare on computers and people need a way to connect them.

Anyways, get the PowerPort II and take care of your needs now. If you get a Type-C phone or something, use the Type A -> Type C cable to be able to keep on charging. If you *really* have a need to Fast Charge in that area at beyond 12 watts, *then* look into getting a Type C Charger.

 

[tinpanalley]

Right, remember all you're talking about is time in the section where you need to plug in. Just like you can get a Type-C to micro-USB cable, you can also get a USB -> Type-C cable for charging a Type-C phone on a standard charger. In fact, every Type-C phone I know of comes with such a cable if for no other reason than the fact that Type-C ports are still pretty rare on computers and people need a way to connect them.

Anyways, get the PowerPort II and take care of your needs now. If you get a Type-C phone or something, use the Type A -> Type C cable to be able to keep on charging. If you *really* have a need to Fast Charge in that area at beyond 12 watts, *then* look into getting a Type C Charger.

Thank you. That was super helpful. I wonder if you might have any input on a similar thread I started?

 

[tinpanalley]

Anyways, get the PowerPort II and take care of your needs now. If you get a Type-C phone or something, use the Type A -> Type C cable to be able to keep on charging. If you *really* have a need to Fast Charge in that area at beyond 12 watts, *then* look into getting a Type C Charger.

Didn't think I'd be coming back here so soon.
We just got new phones that are USB-C and Quickcharge 3. So, to solve the cable issue (because we have really amazing USB-A to micro cables we use throughout the apartment) I bought some adapters, but I need to understand exactly what that PowerPort II offers to compare with a QC3 charger to see whether there's value getting something that can meet the QC3 on the phone. I'm not sure I understand the power specs surrounding QuickCharge. Have you got a good site that explains that? The Qualcomm site is a bit spec heavy. Or do you simply still recommend thinking USB PD rather than Quickcharge? In which case how do QC and USB PD interact or co-habitate?