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iPhone X Is fast charging worth it on iPhone X?

R

robert1998

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 10, 2017
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Hello guys! I had in plan to buy an AirPower but after seeing that it will cost 200$ I switched to the other idea of buying an Apple 29W Charger and USB-C to Lightning cable.
I have a few questions?

1)Can fast charging damage the battery in the long run?
2)Is it much faster than with the included 5W brick charger?
3)Is it worth it at all? Or I'm wasting my money?
 
1.) I don’t know if there any conclusive results proving that fast Charging can damage the battery. The iPhone can the regulate battery charge.

2.) Yes, it’s considerably faster than the 5W brick charger.

3.) Is it worth it? That’s up to you. If you’re somebody that wants/needs maximize the battery capacity at a quicker rate, then it’s something I would consider as a purchase.
 
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1 no fast charging does not damage battery
2 yes a lot faster an hour faster
3 yes it is worth and you are not wasting money
 
To give you an idea of the differences...tests on my iPhone X...

5203916c0c238bf972fc492017758b12.jpg
 
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You need to take a week or so to analyze your current charging patterns. If your battery lasts you all day and you plug it in before going to bed, why bother with a fast charger? However, if you are on the road or you game/ watch videos a lot and find yourself in a pinch multiple times during the day in inconvenient places - then investing in a fast charger maybe worth it. You can also always go out and buy a fast charger in the future whenever your habits change/ your battery endurance dips.
 
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I think it depends on your use habits. This article shows only a slight real world advantage for fast charging. There are better wired options if your goal is to get as much juice as possible in the shortest amount of time possible.

Personally I think the better strategy for the money is to buy a couple of 5W wireless chargers and keep them in places where your iPhone is typically idle. I have this 5W Anker wireless charging stand on my nightstand. Since it's there overnight, it doesn't matter at all that it is a 5W vs a 7.5W. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753Z4PGC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was only $21, so I will probably get a second one for the office. I currently keep my iPhone X on a $6 stand at the office. I like having it on a stand vs a flat charging pad, because I can just look at the phone to unlock and see notifications. I haven't ordered a second charging stand yet because so far I haven't needed it. My iPhone X still has 20% or more at the end of the day.

I think wireless charging is a very nice convenience. Fast charging can warm things up more than 5W charging, but probably not enough to affect the long term life of the battery or the other internal components. The articles I have read say the best thing for a Lithium Ion battery is to avoid huge swings. It's not good to run it down to fumes and then charge it up full every day, so given that a slow wireless charger makes a lot of sense. If you can conveniently charge it at your desk, then it might keep the battery mostly charged in that upper range. Battery experts also say you probably shouldn't worry too much about this stuff and just do what is most convenient to you.

My opinion in short:
1) Probably won't damage the battery or the phone, but will generate more heat than 5W.
2) Not much faster than 5W brick charger or 5W wireless
3) Yes... wireless charging is very convenient! That said you don't need an expensive $50 charger. Even my $21 5W wireless charger cost more than a lot of them out there. I like Anker's products though, and they provide good support. From a convenience perspective, having a couple of strategically places 5W chargers is probably better than one 7.5W charger. I would start with a single 5W and see if that meets your needs. You can always get a second.
 
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1)Can fast charging damage the battery in the long run?

Your battery might wear out a hair faster in the long run. Don't worry about it, just replace your battery when your battery life isn't as good.

2)Is it much faster than with the included 5W brick charger?

Yes. Far, far, faster.

3)Is it worth it at all? Or I'm wasting my money?

Yes, The convenience of being able to charge quickly in a pinch is great. Highly recommend. Well worth it.
 
MarcMller said:
DAMNNNNN.... What exactly do I need to grab for the Apple 29W? Im new to wireless charging.
Click to expand...

There isn't really that much of a difference to warrant the MASSIVE cost difference. You'd save a ton of money just using an iPad charger or any 2.4a charger (Anker).

For example: $10.99 for Anker 24w 2.4a charger. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charge...&qid=1518812657&sr=8-3&keywords=anker+charger

Or for Apple's 7% faster: $49.00 for Apple's 29w USB C adapter https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ262LL/A/29w-usb‑c-power-adapter and $25 for the USB C to Lightning Cable: $25.00 - https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK0X2AM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-cable-1-m

$10.99 vs $74 ?

https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone-x-fast-charging-speeds-compared/

iphonexchargingtestsocial-800x555.png




http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...ing-speeds-with-fast-charge-wireless-and-more

23079-28754-171002-Charge-l.jpg
 
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If you spring for the official usb-C to lightning cable, get the 2 meter one. A little more $, but worth it.
 
I would say just charge it with your MacBook, if you have one. It uses fast charging to charge your phone, long before fast charging was a thing. I can recharge my iPhone 6s Plus roughly 50% faster than 5W charger if I charge it on MacBook. I think it’s 10W in total or more.
 
Fast charging would be of little to no benefit for me as typically I am just charging overnight anyways
I usually come home in the evenings with 80-85% battery
I have a charging pad at work and at home but rarely use them until I go to bed at night
Paying extra so my phone will be charged by midnight instead of 6:00 AM isn't worth it to me at all

I understand my use case isn't necessarily normal for everyone, but unless someone is really draining their phone during the day a normal charger should suffice
 
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As someone who carries an Android phone for personal use, it's very useful. I don't fast charge all the time, but at least I charge at ~1.5A as I use my USB-A 2.4A adapter all the time, and trust me, the charging rate is much appreciated. The iPhone with its standard slow charging is much too slow.

Also having the flexibility to charge at 3A (using my MacBook USB-C charger or the Pixel C-C charger) is great. The key is flexibility. Sometimes you need that 3A charge. For instance I had 30 minutes once at my hotel room during a vacation to shower and get ready to go out after a long day of photo shooting. I took my phone to like 75% from nearly empty in that period of time and was good for the night.

Options are always great. I may charge my Android phone at 1A overnight, but having that 3A bump charge when I need it is great. My advice is to get a fast charger and use it when you need it, but you can charge slower overnight if you want to extend battery longevity
 
robert1998 said:
3)Is it worth it at all? Or I'm wasting my money?
Click to expand...

The iPhone X has amazing battery life, I've yet to go to bed at midnight without more than 35% left.

So for me fast charging is pointless. What I appreciate instead is Wireless Charging which is great for me. My wife goes to bed before me and it's been a decade of fumbling in the dark looking for a tiny lightning port with one hand and the tiny lightning plug in the other.

Now I can creep into the bedroom and lie my iPhone X down on the nightstand and that's that, nice and simple, no more fumbling and breaking lightning cables. And in the morning, alarm goes off, I can just pick up the X and hit the 'stop' button, no need to yank the charging cable out again.

So....my advice to you....forget fast charging and focus on overnight Wireless Charging instead.
 
In a typical day I have at least 30% remaining battery by the time I go to bed. I'm not a businessy business man like some people, however I still use it rather extensively throughout the day for dial-in-meetings, emails and other needs like browser and test-flight. So, I don't typically need fast charger.

However, when traveling I tend to run down my battery very fast. Using my phone and watch for directions, Suica (contactless payment,) messaging, photography, video, translations etc. I found myself often nursing a coffee in a Starbucks while I waited for my phone to top off. Being able to shave 30 min off the charge time is well worth it in such instances.
 
robert1998 said:
1)Can fast charging damage the battery in the long run?
Click to expand...
Battery wear/cycle is strongly linked to charging speed, so that the closer you get to battery C rating the more you damage the battery from a charge, and since Apple historically had problems with voltage sag on older batteries it's pretty likely the C rating is very low.
robert1998 said:
2)Is it much faster than with the included 5W brick charger?
Click to expand...
Yeah it's drastically faster until the the battery get's close to max capacity, at that point additional charge capacity makes no difference
robert1998 said:
3)Is it worth it at all? Or I'm wasting my money?
Click to expand...
Depends on you, if you need to charge fast it's probably worth it, after all you can just have the battery changed if it goes bad.
 
I haven't timed it to be absolutely sure, but it seems that I've noticed that if a battery is charged from 40% to 80% via a fast charger like the 12W iPad charger, the amount of charge (run time) is less than if you charged it up from 40 to 80 with the slower 5 watt charger. I think if you want the battery to hold the most juice, it's better to charge it slower with the 5W charger.

As I said, I haven't carefully tested this theory- but I sure have noticed that a fast charged battery doesn't last as long.
 
now i see it said:
I haven't timed it to be absolutely sure, but it seems that I've noticed that if a battery is charged from 40% to 80% via a fast charger like the 12W iPad charger, the amount of charge (run time) is less than if you charged it up from 40 to 80 with the slower 5 watt charger. I think if you want the battery to hold the most juice, it's better to charge it slower with the 5W charger.

As I said, I haven't carefully tested this theory- but I sure have noticed that a fast charged battery doesn't last as long.
Click to expand...

That scientifically, chemically makes absolutely zero sense.
 
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