Why do plugged in chargers, which aren’t connected to anything, still draw power?

Question

e.g. If a phone charger is plugged into an outlet yet has no phone connected to be charged, why does it draw power?

In: Technology

Answer 1

The charger itself has circuitry that needs to be powered. It’s very little, though. Mostly just to detect when something has been plugged in so it can turn on. Much like a TV needs to be on to read the “turn on” signal from the remote.