car charger amperage

[Doug Lass]

OK, I can buy a cheap 1 amp car charger for my iPhone. I can spend a little more and get a beefier one. What exactly can and cannot I do with 1 amp?

Pretty clear that I can charge my battery faster with more amps. But can I operate my phone at all? If I'm on a deserted road at night, and my car doesn't start, and my iPhone is out of juice, can 1 amp get me on the air?

I don't want a "well, maybe", or "uh I think so". I want a YES or NO. I'd rather not have to empty my battery to test it out. I have a 1 amp rated charger, and I want to know if I can bother putting it in my glove box for emergencies.

 

[iKevinT]

OK, I can buy a cheap 1 amp car charger for my iPhone. I can spend a little more and get a beefier one. What exactly can and cannot I do with 1 amp?

Pretty clear that I can charge my battery faster with more amps. But can I operate my phone at all? If I'm on a deserted road at night, and my car doesn't start, and my iPhone is out of juice, can 1 amp get me on the air?

I don't want a "well, maybe", or "uh I think so". I want a YES or NO. I'd rather not have to empty my battery to test it out. I have a 1 amp rated charger, and I want to know if I can bother putting it in my glove box for emergencies.

The wall charger that came with your iPhone is 1 amp, so unless your cheap charger isn’t putting out 5 volts it shouldn’t be any different than the wall charger. Bigger question is if your car won’t start, will the charger work?

 

[Doug Lass]

OK, so if the wall charger is 1 amp, then a 1 amp car charger is going to charge the phone just as well as the wall charger AND both will power the phone in the event of a totally empty battery just as well as the wall charger.

BUT, is that really true that an Apple wall charger is just 1 amp? I don't have mine with me right now. The Apple branded USB chargers are 2.1 amp (and USB-C chargers are 6 amp).

And yes,if the car battery is dead, then you just have to yell real loud.