Nokia chargers pump juice into Windows Phones faster

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

While it's been confirmed by Nokia already, the team over at WeLoveWP.hk have run some tests on charging the Lumia Windows Phone with a number of options. Turns out when put up against generic USB chargers (eg. Apple), USB ports and another Nokia charging unit, the Nokia Lumia adapters provided more charge for a faster rate of recharge.

Check out the summarised results below:

  • Computer USB 2.0 port: 3.85V - ~110mA
  • Nokia DC-11K Mobile Charging Unit: 3.9V - 330mA
  • Apple Charger: 3.88V - 300mA
  • Lumia 800 AC-16 Charger: 3.95V - 600mA

Should you have a Nokia Lumia charger in your procession, using it over your PC (or other USB based chargers) will pump the juice into your Lumia handsets at a faster rate.

Source: WeLoveWP.hk

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

24 Comments
  • This is an interesting article. I hope I get my 800 I won in the mail soon so I can test this for myself.
  • I am also finding it also needs to be connected to said charger sooner too which is actually slightly more important than how fast it charges the phone. Since the firmware updates my phone has progressivly got worse it gives up during the working day now. It was bad before but at least I got home and it would be around 8ish when it packed up. Now it is packing up some after 3 and 5 on average. That is shocking.
  • Electrifying
  • The same thing was happening to me till last weekend and then for no apparent reason battery life has significantly improved. Only thing that updated was the Engadget app...
  • The Engadget app does seem to eat my battery too.
  • Interesting, might disable the Engadget background task and see if mine improves...
  • I don't have it with me, but I'm pretty sure my Titan charger will let the phone pull up to 1A(1000mA).
  • My HTC charger is rated 5V - 1A
  • Based on my usage, after the update, the phones battery life went awful, it fixes itself after roughly a week, why didn't Nokia confirm this I don't know, surely they tested their devices before sending out the software.
  • Except there's a reason most chargers have a lesser charging current. The higher the charging current, the faster these devices charge. Good. However, the faster these devices charge, predictably, the sooner their recharging cycles will be necessary, increasing the lithium-ion battery's loss of charge ratio. 
     
    In other words, it significantly decreases the battery's exptected life, for faster charging times. Short term vs. Long term. Considering some folks will have this device for a year or two, this information might be useful to make their decision.
  • As long as you are within the rating of the battery it shouldn't be a problem. If you exceed the charge rate that the battery is rated for you will damage it.
  • These tests are interesting.  USB is supposed to be capable of up to 500mA (assuming no other devices on the "leg").  And my Titan charger says 1A as did my previous HTC Touch Pro charger.  But ratings can be different from reality...should've tested a Titan charger, or any other 1A OEM charger.
  • I have a couple of Nokia AC-10X's that kick out 1200mah, beat that ;)
  • The Kindle Fire charger pumps out 1.8A (1800mah). Jus' sayin'. ;)
  • I am interested to see how battery life compares to my old crusty 2003 iPAQ. Original battery and still going strong, though my regular use of it has gone way down since I bought my HD7. ;)
  • This is why I use my Motorola charger, much faster than htc's.
  • I am proud of Nokia!
  • you're AWESOME!
    thanks.....
  • The Samsung charger that came with my Omnia 7 is rated at 5V/0.7A.
  • The TC-B250 that comes with most HTCs these days outputs at 1000ma. However, it's also rated at 5v, like I thought all USB things were. So perhaps these figures are all about verified output rather than the output declared on the unit?
     
  • This would have been a much more interesting article if it compared charging times as opposed to voltages and current.  
    That said, it's likely the voltage that makes the difference.  The current is what the adapter is capable of - it doesn't change how much current the device draws (likely much less than the maximum rating on the charger).
    Just my 2c,
    Clint
  • Hi Clint! Thanks for your suggestion, I am considering to redo the tests with charging time. Maybe even adding some chargers to the test.
    Roid from WeloveWP.HK
  • I have Updated tests with Charging time:
    Here is the result from 40% to 100% Charging time:
    PC USB 2.0 > 2:40
    iPhone  Charger > 2:15
    Nokia DC-11K Charger > 2:10
    Nokia AC-10 Charger > 1:30
    Nokia Lumia Original Charger > 1:37
    For more information please go to our website: http://welovewp.hk/?p=4467
  • Yeah I always thought it was much more to do with how much current the device draws rather than the maximum output of the charger.
    For instance - my iPad USB charger has a maximum output of 2A (2000mAh) but I still use it to charge my Samsung Focus, I don't think my battery charges any faster nor have I noticed a degradation in battery life.
    It was also my understanding that all modern Li-on batteries have an integrated charging circuit that regulates the amount of current being drawn from any source and therefore the rate of charging. This is to prevent both overcharging scenarios and also prevents total discharge of the battery which effectively kills a Li-on battery.