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Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

smiley — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 19:44:07 GMT

There is a common misunderstanding about chargers compatibility with phones. With a recent post on the forum i wanted to mention a few tips. Now that none of the major phone manufacturers ship new chargers with phones, then we usually reuse our older ones. However NOT ALL PHONE CHARGERS ARE EQUAL.

In view of some users experiencing overheating adaptors when charging, then you should check the charger is capable of providing the Wattage of your device !!

As an example if a charger is rated to only 15W maximum and you are using it to charge a much more powerful device, then this can cause overheating issues. Whilst strictly it is 'compatible' this charger that is underpowered will be constantly running hard at its maximum. It will also not be able to charge at the phones quoted charging... say 45W... if the charger is only capable of 25W.

I believe many users still use these older samsung chargers from previous devices which were original shipped with older generation phones that used to charge slower. In those days the phones speed of charging was 15W or less.

It is better to use a newer charger that is capable of supplying 100W and use on a phone that needs 45W... than to do the opposite which is to use a very old spec charger capable of only 15W, to charge a device that requires a lot more.

I hope this makes some sense to you. It is a shame that Samsung, Apple and other phone manufacturers didn't not educate users better about this. They do NOT provide a charger anymore, but as a user it is YOUR responsibility to ensure the charger you use is capable of supplying the correct amount of wattage.

There are three examples below. These days the chargers are capable of varying voltage and current, so it is only the larger of the two wattage numbers that you should be concerned about.

#1. This supplies 5V at 2A (10w) and 9V at 1.67A (15w). This is an old style charger that was from older gen phones. Although it may work, it will be slower than the phone can support. It will also get hot as it will always be maxed out constantly.

#2. 5V at 3A (15w) or 9V at 2.77A (25w). This device to be used for charging phones or charging pads up to 25W.

#3. Newer GaN style charger. The maximum this can provide is 65W. It can vary to four voltage levels. It is better to use a 65W charger on a device that only needs 25W for example, as it will only be running at 40% of its capability.

I hope this a makes some sense. Some simple 'ohms laws' calculation for Power = Voltage × Current... can be used to calculate your charger if needed.

Smiley

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

Obsydian — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 16:18:16 GMT

Very important post, for me manufacturers ditching plugs and Bobby basic cables that are minimum length was always a recipe for disaster under the false environmental saviour message.

Everyone went straight on ebay, Amazon, etc.. or just kept using the one chargers.

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

Piper123 — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 16:28:11 GMT

Totally agree, a very useful and informative thread that should help many users who report overheating chargers and batteries.

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

JAMES4578 — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 16:44:49 GMT

Certainly very useful and detailed post which should provide clear guidance on charger compatibility (for the average user) It is important to be aware of safety considerations.

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

Tourbillon De La Vie — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 16:58:51 GMT

Common sense refreshing post

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

GoanGeek — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 19:47:30 GMT

Quite informative 👍🏽

I still use a combination of old 15 watts and 25 watts Samsung chargers.

Also mostly overnight charging.

So far no issues.

I also have a habit of closing all background apps before putting it to charge.

Re: Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

smiley — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:06:02 GMT

Ok, whilst the 15w charger on a device that is 45w will likely work, firstly it will be a lot slower, and there may be risks where driving a charger at its maximum charge regularly can cause danger issues. Even 25w is underpowered for today's devices.

I have a drawer full of low wattage chargers from previous years, but retired them.

For the price of a small cost... there are better and more powerful chargers available. Anker and Ugreen are two reputable aftermarket battery companies i would entrust with my expensive devices.
https://amzn.eu/d/8sHjPMc

You may never have a problem... or you might find you are unlucky ! Is it really worth the risk...
https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/accessories/wall-charger-exploded-again/td-p/13313046?src=ShareByUserCM

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

lminvti — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:18:26 GMT

Great post 👍, I've learnt "Ohms law" 8 year ago using mechanical vape mods, and RDA tanks where's you have to build your own coild, use specific wire test it beforehand and whatnot.

Re: Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

smiley — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 20:28:07 GMT

Ohms law is the relationship between the circuit resistance, current, and voltage.

If you know two of these parameters then you can calculate the other.

If you know voltage and current in circuit then R = V/I
If you know resistance and voltage then I = V/R
If you know current and resistance then V= I × R.

Power is equal to V × I. Or it can be I^2 x R ... or ... V^2/R.

This is basic electronics theory. 👍 😉

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

GoanGeek — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 21:39:38 GMT

Whats your take on wireless charging which is 15 watts and pc charging which is slower as well. Vs say a 15 watt charger.

All original Samsung.

Re: Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

smiley — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 22:58:29 GMT

Well you can see my thoughts above, on the use of a low powered charger with one of today's devices that have specs of 45W or more. If you drive any circuit at its full power constantly, then sooner or later it might just push over the edge.

Wireless charging i personally do not particularly like. The inefficient way of energising between induction coils as a method is notoriously inefficient and creates a lot of heat. To add a figure, they reckon 30-40% of the energy is wasted with induction charging methods.
.
More to the point is that excessive heat to a battery can cause early failure, or longevity and degradation issues.

Of course QI2 and wireless is being pushed hard at the moment. I understand the convenience of being able to just magsafe the phone to a charger.

I would always opt to use a USB C wired connection than use a charging pad. Every watt of energy is transferred without any loss ... or any excessive heat.

Of course these are opinions... I am not a power engineer or an expert. From articles on battery charging and my 35 years as an electronics engineer I make my own choices 👍 😉

Of course you can also make your own usage choices as well 👍

Re: Re: Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

Obsydian — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 06:17:41 GMT

Wired all the way for me, says the guy using Samsung wireless chargers as coasters 😂 but I am a recent MagSafe convert thought familiar with it from iPhone, with the ZFOLD7 it just makes so much sense and safety

Re: Re: Re: Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

smiley — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 07:00:03 GMT

I have a magsafe car mount now, and that has a good grip with the phone. It can wireless charge if I plug it into my USB, but this will be a last resort for me. I would rather plug the phone into the USB port instead.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your devic..

Obsydian — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:38:40 GMT

Yeah Magsafe type accessories for me are more grip, stand, accessories, definitely no wireless charging.

Reminds me i have two ZFOLD Samsung car cradle wireless chargers, never use them for wireless charging 😂🙏

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

Farah777 — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 19:44:50 GMT

Thank you so much for that information. I didn't know that.
I'm not sure if I'm using the correct charger for my new Samsung galaxy s25?

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

ChrisB_ — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 19:53:10 GMT

Hi all, I just want to remind everyone that it's best to hide the serial numbers of any devices you post in public, as this is identifiable information. I've edited the photos in this thread to remove these numbers, but I just wanted to give a heads up for future reference. 🙂

Also, I know my Paint skills are abysmal, I've made peace with that fact a long time ago 😆

Re: Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

smiley — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 20:10:03 GMT

Thanks @ChrisB_

I knew there were serials... but I figured on a low cost charger typically from a few years that it wasn't a security risk. Of course a phone imei or similar i would have been more careful.

Smiley

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

jazz12345 — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 03:49:00 GMT

👏

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

Sazatron69 — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:53:25 GMT

I had no idea about this 😮 so thank you for your information. Would you have a recommendation on the charger I should use for my Galaxy s23 ultra, and a samsung galaxy tablet please?

Re: Important : Are you using the right charger for your device ?

HarleyQ71 — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:57:50 GMT

Well since Samsung stopped supplying chargers with devices this is what has happened. People keep using old ones