iPad [2018] iPad charge times?

[TheAnvil]

How long does it typically take the 2018 iPad to charge?

It's currently taking over 4.5 hours with the provided 10w brick.

I have been charging right now for just shy of 2 hours and it has only gone from 49 to 73%.

Will I see any realistic improvement if I get the 12w charger or the larger USB-C charger an cable, even if it doesn't support "fast charging"?

 

[akash.nu]

Will I see any realistic improvement if I get the 12w charger or the larger USB-C charger an cable, even if it doesn't support "fast charging"?

No! The input voltage is regulated by your device. Don’t let the iPad go down to 0%. It’s not good for the health of the battery anyway. Charge as often as you can, so that you don’t have to wait for hours for it to get to 100%.

 

[joeblow7777]

The 2018 iPad does charge fairly slowly. Probably my only complaint about it when I first got it.
I don’t know if it somehow got better over time or if I just stopped thinking about it because I’m rarely in a situation where I need it to charge quickly, but it doesn’t bother me anymore.

4.5 hours seems a bit much. 3-4 hours for a full charge is about what I recall from the last time I paid attention to it. But on the bright side, I often get 12 hours of usage and days of standby between needing charges, and if I top up in between it never has to be plugged in that long.

 

[Ivabign]

The 2018 iPad does charge fairly slowly. Probably my only complaint about it when I first got it.
I don’t know if it somehow got better over time or if I just stopped thinking about it because I’m rarely in a situation where I need it to charge quickly, but it doesn’t bother me anymore.

4.5 hours seems a bit much. 3-4 hours for a full charge is about what I recall from the last time I paid attention to it. But on the bright side, I often get 12 hours of usage and days of standby between needing charges, and if I top up in between it never has to be plugged in that long.

Buying the 29W USB-C charger and cable was the best purchase I made for my 12.9 Pro. Cutting charge time to just over 2 hours has been a godsend since I use mine for work. Beat the heck out of hooking up to my car USB and having basically nothing happen.

I agree that for $1079, Apple could have included a charger that charged in a reasonable time - but I couldn't wait for them to get a conscience.

 

[rui no onna]

How long does it typically take the 2018 iPad to charge?

It's currently taking over 4.5 hours with the provided 10w brick.

I have been charging right now for just shy of 2 hours and it has only gone from 49 to 73%.

Will I see any realistic improvement if I get the 12w charger or the larger USB-C charger an cable, even if it doesn't support "fast charging"?

That seems too slow for 10W even accounting for inefficiencies. By any chance, were there any background tasks or was the display on while the iPad was charging?

USB-C charging cable is pointless for the 2018 basic iPad.

 

[ipaqowner]

No! The input voltage is regulated by your device

Nothing to do with the voltage which is the same from all iPad/iPhone chargers.
It's the current that the charger can supply that determines how fast the device charges.
A higher wattage charger can supply more current.

 

[NoBoMac]

That seems too slow for 10W even accounting for inefficiencies. By any chance, were there any background tasks or was the display on while the iPad was charging?

This. Basically, were you using the iPad while trying to charge? Depending on what was running, could be using almost as much as going in. For example, on iPhone, people complain about battery not charging while they are using a GPS app like Waze. Even plugged in, basically a net-zero in battery gain under load.

 

[akash.nu]

Nothing to do with the voltage which is the same from all iPad/iPhone chargers.
It's the current that the charger can supply that determines how fast the device charges.
A higher wattage charger can supply more current.

Apologies. I meant wattage.

 

[rui no onna]

Nothing to do with the voltage which is the same from all iPad/iPhone chargers.
It's the current that the charger can supply that determines how fast the device charges.
A higher wattage charger can supply more current.

This is technically incorrect now. I believe the 29W USB-C adapters can go up to 14.5V when paired with a compatible device (e.g. iPad Pro).

 

[Cordorb]

gees- we are talking about an ipad NOT a lap top
USB charger are about 5 Volts
That adapter will charge a 12 volt car battery and batteries in ipad are NOT 12 volts.

ipaqowner is correct

There is some overvoltage protection in a ipad/iphone

If you use a car 12 volt power port adapter to 5 volt USB charger - how much AMPS or watts are available ( A lot ) so the pad/phone decides how much to use.

There is a fuse in the car adapter which will limit the ( a lot)

 

[rui no onna]

gees- we are talking about an ipad NOT a lap top
USB charger are about 5 Volts
That adapter will charge a 12 volt car battery and batteries in ipad are NOT 12 volts.

ipaqowner is correct

There is some overvoltage protection in a ipad/iphone

If you use a car 12 volt power port adapter to 5 volt USB charger - how much AMPS or watts are available ( A lot ) so the pad/phone decides how much to use.

There is a fuse in the car adapter which will limit the ( a lot)

Again, the iPad Pro models (for sure 10.5 & 12.9, maybe Pro 9.7?) already support higher voltages. I'm not too sure but I think the iPhone 8/8+/X might support USB-PD fast charging, too.

The 2018 basic iPad doesn't support USB-PD afaik but at this point in time, it's technically incorrect to say all iPads and iPhones are still limited to 5V.

If one buys the Apple 29W USB-C adapter and USB-C to Lightning Cable, it can charge devices at the ff max rates:

iPad Pro 12.9: 29W (14.5V x 2A)
iPad (6th gen, 2018): 12W (5V x 2.4A)
iPhone 8: 29W (14.5V x 2A)
iPhone 7: 12W (5V x 2.4A) (or might be limited to 10W, can't quite recall)

 

[Cordorb]

Good points -thanks for the reply

I have not connected the latest ipad to my USB current/voltage recording equipment;

An example of USB current / voltage device from Amazon can be: as an example:

https://www.amazon.com/Adafruit-USB-Charger-Doctor-line/dp/B00NAY2R2W

Some items not covered in ifixit reports so be great to know the voltage seen.

--------------
one item: when using a monitor to go between a power supply and Apple ios devices
- watch out for the data lines in the USB cable -
-Apple requires resistors loading to indicate a max current the ios should try to pull from approved devices.
This can end up getting LESS current when you test.
--------------
My main interest in this area is using Solar to charge ipads.

 

[rui no onna]

The ff thread might be of interest. I don't recall seeing output voltage, though.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/29w-fast-charging-tests-and-3rd-party-adapters.2052414/

Again, afaik, only iPad Pro 12.9 (1st & 2nd gen), iPad Pro 10.5 and iPhone 8/8+/X support fast charging/USB-PD.

That Adafruit won't work. You need USB-C. Something like this might work:

https://www.amazon.com/SIIG-Multimeter-Performance-Direction-Indicator/dp/B076134M77/

 

[spacebro]

I can drain the iPad in under an hour but it takes around 5 hours to charge. I hope the next iPad Pro charges faster and has a bigger battery.

 

[Cordorb]

USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) does change the game.

PROFILE 3 of USB-PD is what this does:
Apple 29W USB-C Power Adapter 14.5V 2A
5V @ 2A, 12V @ 3A

note on usage :
No matter which USB-C charger you buy, you’ll have to put up with hard-coded safety limits in your iPhone/ipad.
Fast charge kicks in when the capacity is between 0 and 79 percent, but stops when it reaches 80 percent.

Think it was macworld that did a test to 85 % full ( used that as all charging goes much slower afterthat )

result the 4 hour from flat 0 to 85 on regular charger ( guessing the 10 or 12 watt unit ) only went sown to 3 hours on a fast USB-c type PD charger.

HERE is the part that makes it harder for my solar charging

YOU have to have TWO new part

1. the Power adapter - you do not have to use a Apple one but I do and thing you should too.
2. A Apple usb-c to lightning cable ( you know-- the ones that have the build in chips in the cable)

$50 more for those extra items

The charger adaper will default back to 5V @ 2A if the ios device is not happy when testing the link to the charger adapter.

------------------------
that post of a USC-C type volt/amp meter looks good - thanks rui no onna
I did a DIY setup as I was not sure if I needed to test the USB-C end of the cable or the apple lightning end.

good place to start on reading about USB-PD
http://www.usb.org/developers/powerdelivery/PD_1.0_Introduction.pdf

 

[rui no onna]

note on usage :
No matter which USB-C charger you buy, you’ll have to put up with hard-coded safety limits in your iPhone/ipad.
Fast charge kicks in when the capacity is between 0 and 79 percent, but stops when it reaches 80 percent.

Think it was macworld that did a test to 85 % full ( used that as all charging goes much slower afterthat )

result the 4 hour from flat 0 to 85 on regular charger ( guessing the 10 or 12 watt unit ) only went sown to 3 hours on a fast USB-c type PD charger.

Note, 4 hours to 3 hours sounds more like the difference between 10W and 12W chargers, not 10/12W and USB-PD. You should get from 0 to 80% below the 2 hour mark (with light load).

By the way, current rumors are the new iPhone will ship with an 18W USB-C charger.

https://www.macstories.net/ios/testing-apples-29w-usb-c-power-adapter-and-ipad-pro-fast-charging

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/29w-fast-charging-tests-and-3rd-party-adapters.2052414/

 

[Cordorb]

Thank you -- a three axis colored chart on graph paper - that makes my day

Sheldon Cooper is not sure it ever will get charged to 100 %
He mumbled something about a inverse tangent function at it the approach the asymptote.