eli5: How do phones “pull” electricity?

576 views

I could be totally wrong about my understanding but I think phones and other devices “pull” the electricity needed to charge their batteries and if you plugged it into a wall plug that couldn’t supply enough juice it could damage the phone. I also hear people talk about some wall plugs charge their phone way faster so my question is can phones or other devices modulate how much they pull if they detect that a plug is capable of supplying more? Enlighten me people of the internet’s!

In: 1

7 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Most chargers are either 1A or 2.1A. Higher the amperage, the more electricity can flow, at the same speed. This will allow the phone to charge quicker. The phone itself understands how charged it is, and cuts it off from the power when it is complete. The charger/wall wart itself is just converting from the 120/240v in your wall down to the 5v needed to charge your device.

Think of it like a garden hose… more voltage is like turning the spigot on higher, amperage is like getting a fatter hose.

You are viewing 1 out of 7 answers, click here to view all answers.