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seajewel

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 31, 2010
385
76
Curious how quick the charging is. I think I'll pick up the 12w while I'm on vacation later this week. I wouldn't mind cutting recharge time in half :)
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
Used my 10W power adaptor (not from Apple). From 0% to 90% it took exactly 2 hours to charge. So I assume it took 2h 30m to 45 m to fully charge it.
 

seajewel

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 31, 2010
385
76
Awesome, thanks. I'll definitely get one then. I really love the mini. But I'd pay a lot for a retina mini.. Next year! :)
 

GrandPhrase

macrumors 6502
Jun 16, 2012
431
1
Curious how quick the charging is. I think I'll pick up the 12w while I'm on vacation later this week. I wouldn't mind cutting recharge time in half :)

Hey, how long did it take to fully charge an iPad mini with the 5W adapter?
 

ME Nick

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2009
106
43
Colorado
Purchased a 12W charger from apple yesterday.
They wanted to remind me that though these charges will shorten the charging time, it will damage the longevity of the battery.

So they recommended not to use the 12W all of the time, mix it up with the 5W.
 

TheDoctah

macrumors member
Aug 1, 2008
35
0
Brampton, ON
Purchased a 12W charger from apple yesterday.
They wanted to remind me that though these charges will shorten the charging time, it will damage the longevity of the battery.

So they recommended not to use the 12W all of the time, mix it up with the 5W.

That's interesting considering they officially support it. There shouldn't be any problems with warranty if it does mess up the battery
 

parseckadet

macrumors 65816
Dec 13, 2010
1,489
1,268
Denver, CO
Purchased a 12W charger from apple yesterday.
They wanted to remind me that though these charges will shorten the charging time, it will damage the longevity of the battery.

So they recommended not to use the 12W all of the time, mix it up with the 5W.

This is interesting. I hadn't heard it before. Has anyone actually checked the mini with something like the Kill-A-Watt to see if it is actually taking advantage of the extra wattage provided by the 12W charger?
 

glen e

macrumors 68030
Jun 19, 2010
2,619
2
Ft Lauderdale
Purchased a 12W charger from apple yesterday.
They wanted to remind me that though these charges will shorten the charging time, it will damage the longevity of the battery.

So they recommended not to use the 12W all of the time, mix it up with the 5W.

did you read that officially from apple or one of the kids with blue shirts?...I have looked thru the supplied 12W documentation and can find no verbiage to this. Will call apple later. I have purchased 3 and want to use it for all my devices....

[update: apple tech support says 12w would not be sold if it would shorten life of batts to any degree worth noting - just spoke with them]
 
Last edited:

racer1441

macrumors 68000
Jul 3, 2009
1,860
616
Purchased a 12W charger from apple yesterday.
They wanted to remind me that though these charges will shorten the charging time, it will damage the longevity of the battery.

So they recommended not to use the 12W all of the time, mix it up with the 5W.

Sounds like a blue shirt front line kid who just read his electricity book at community college.
 

ME Nick

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2009
106
43
Colorado
did you read that officially from apple or one of the kids with blue shirts?...I have looked thru the supplied 12W documentation and can find no verbiage to this. Will call apple later. I have purchased 3 and want to use it for all my devices....

Blue Shirt.
But having done research in a battery lab in college, I know that for any lithium based battery, the slower the charge, the better life the battery sees over the long run.

The 12W is supported by Apple, yes.
But battery conditions that determine its lifespan vary, and it's just something to be conscience of.
I will still be using it to charge mine when rushed.
 
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gmanist1000

macrumors 68030
Sep 22, 2009
2,832
824
Purchased a 12W charger from apple yesterday.
They wanted to remind me that though these charges will shorten the charging time, it will damage the longevity of the battery.

So they recommended not to use the 12W all of the time, mix it up with the 5W.

Doubt that. Doesn't the charger scale to the appropriate wattage for the device?
 

ME Nick

macrumors regular
Jun 15, 2009
106
43
Colorado
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Idefix

macrumors 6502a
Jul 10, 2012
523
72
Insanely Great Mac did a youtube test with the 10w vs the 12w, featuring an iPad (do we call it the Maxi?) and an iPhone 5.

Short summary: the iPad does accept the higher charging rate of the 12w, the iPhone 5 doesn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC4gPxc89Wg

Be interesting to see if the iPad Mini will charge faster.
 
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Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
Blue Shirt.
But having done research in a battery lab in college, I know that for any lithium based battery, the slower the charge, the better life the battery sees over the long run.

Indeed. Higher current = hotter battery while recharging = not good for Li-Ion batteries.
 

Quantus

macrumors regular
Apr 2, 2012
171
1
Indeed. Higher current = hotter battery while recharging = not good for Li-Ion batteries.

Is that heat in general or just heat caused by charging? In other words, can gaming, which tends to generate more heat, shorten the lifespan of your battery?
 
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Menneisyys2

macrumors 603
Jun 7, 2011
5,997
1,101
Is that heat in general or just heat caused by charging? In other words, can gaming, which tends to generate more heat, shorten the lifespan of your battery?

It does. And the battery in the iPad 3 / 4 already gives much more power than in the iPad 2 (and, probably, the iPad mini). This may be the reason for my iPad 2 (purchased exactly 18 months ago) has definitely less than twice the cycle count of my iPad 3 (purchased exactly 7 months ago - that is, less than half of that of the iPad 2): 241 vs. 140. (The usage patterns of the two iPads have been the same: I, and later, when the iPad 2 was handed down to her, my wife have used several hours a day both tablets.)

BTW, I've found a more quantitive ratio between charge rate (see the 5W vs. 12W question) and battery life: see "Figure 1: Cycle performance of Li-ion with 1C, 2C and 3C charge and discharge" at http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/ultra_fast_chargers . That is, the Apple Store folks' statement ("it will damage the longevity of the battery.") is certainly true.

However, this still doesn't mean the iPad mini's battery will surely die in, say, half a year or will burn if you always charge it with a 12W charger. I'd say its life expectancy will "only" be shortened from, say, 3 years to, say, 1.5.

Basically, I don't think you need to be afraid of explosions.
 

T4R06

macrumors 65816
Oct 8, 2007
1,212
74
CT
that blue shirt you have spoken is outdated. this is not Li-Polymer. the battery is Li-Ion so you are good charging with 10/12w chargers
 

Yr Blues

macrumors 68030
Jan 14, 2008
2,687
889
is there any fear of burning out the battery faster in the long term? maybe the battery is rated for 5w
 
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