Hi everyone, I just got an iPhone 13 this week. I usually charge between% 20-80. And I realised that with 20w apple charger, the phone gets noticeably warm. After that I tried mine 12w ipad brick to charge it and its much cooler and the time difference for charging is something like half an hour which is not a problem for me. My concern is getting the best battery health from it. There are some people say that iphone 13 is optimized to charge with 20w and some say that less heat is better for battery health so im confused. Thanks in advance.
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iPhone 13 Charging iPhone 13 with 12w or 20w?
- Thread starter periphas
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You will get a lot of different opinions on charging. My personal preference is to keep the phone as cool as possible when charging. I use a 12-watt charger for that reason. I usually charge overnight.
Generally, especially for older batteries (which yours isn’t) charging slower is easier on the battery — especially when ambient temperatures are warm.
Apple has no incentive to try to make a battery last 6 years. If it lasts 2 years while degrading to 80% battery health, that’s good enough for them.
There’s some Android phones that use 125 watt chargers and can charge the phone in 15 minutes (Oppo), so a 20 watt charger on today’s battery tech isn’t really a big deal.
If the phone gets warmish while charging, that’s normal and fine. If it feels hot to the touch - it’s charging too fast (on a hot day).
Apple has no incentive to try to make a battery last 6 years. If it lasts 2 years while degrading to 80% battery health, that’s good enough for them.
There’s some Android phones that use 125 watt chargers and can charge the phone in 15 minutes (Oppo), so a 20 watt charger on today’s battery tech isn’t really a big deal.
If the phone gets warmish while charging, that’s normal and fine. If it feels hot to the touch - it’s charging too fast (on a hot day).
I’ve always charged my iPhones overnight when depleted using the old 5w charger.
Never had a single issue with battery longevity etc.
Never had a single issue with battery longevity etc.
Thanks for all responses. I usually charge my phone when I come back to home so decided to stick with 12w and planning to use 20w only before events when i need a quick charge.
You should be fine charging with even a 96W MBP adapter if you’re charging from 50% and over as Apple only implemented fast charging till it reaches 50%. But if you’re really concerned with battery health and want it to last as long as possible then 12W is obviously the better route.
Even if you always use a 20W, it only gets slightly warm till it reaches 50% and would cool back down as it goes higher.
iOS is designed to find a balance between convenience and longevity and it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution but works for most. If you fit into the longevity crowd then go for lower powered adapters. But if you’re okay with compromising minimal battery health for some convenience of fast charging then you should be fine with 20W or higher as long as you don’t generate extra heat from playing graphic intensive games while fast charging.
Thanks for your response, you approached to the topic very sensibly. I've upgraded to 13 from XR and also planning to use 13 for at least 3 years. I used XR very harshly I played lots of games with device plugged into powerbank etc. and even I replaced the battery after 1.5 years It performed poor after another 1 year. I am maybe overthinking it but I dont want to replace the battery 2 times in 3-4 years which is almost get closes to the price that I pay for the new device (2 battery replacement costs 250$ in my country and getting a new device costs approximately 500-550$ after I give my phone back).
Everyone will have a different experience with battery life and battery health. In my case, my launch day 13 Pro Max is still at about 102% battery health with 72 charge cycles. I have not tried using a higher wattage, above 12 watts. For me, I don’t have a need to fast charge my phone. I usually charge over night.
There are others you have really good battery health using MagSafe or wired 20 watt charging.
If you want to stick to doing conservative charging, then stick to using a 5 or 10 watt charger.
Fast charging 365 days a year for me.
Not fussed about battery health.
I can always replace my battery once it reaches 80%
Phone will most likely be long gone way before it reaches 80% battery health.
Not fussed about battery health.
I can always replace my battery once it reaches 80%
Phone will most likely be long gone way before it reaches 80% battery health.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
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I strongly recommend using the classic 5W charger. It will not make your iPhone warmer thus not going to degrade the battery at a faster rate. If you need fast charging only use it in desperate times when you need the juice.
Plug your iPhone at night and let it charge peacefully. Let the optimized charging set in place automatically. It's magical. Richest feature of the iOS. Pure satisfaction. Btw, congratulations on getting the new iPhone. 💕
Plug your iPhone at night and let it charge peacefully. Let the optimized charging set in place automatically. It's magical. Richest feature of the iOS. Pure satisfaction. Btw, congratulations on getting the new iPhone. 💕
I use the MagSafe charger with the 20w power adapter every night and still rocking 100% capacity. You'd think it'd be less by now with all negativity and bad rep it gets. But like someone said, everyone has their own preferences.
Try to avoid playing games while using fast charger. It would generate a lot of heat that’s detrimental to the battery health. There are other scenarios you might want to avoid like leaving the device in the car during hot summer days.
Heat is the biggest culprit in battery degradation and as long as you can avoid it your battery should last 3+ years easy. And since you’re already sticking to 20-80 there’s not much else you have to do to extend your battery life.
This is just more of an FYI than a recommendation so just charge on the wattage you feel is comfortable.
For my iPhone 12 Pro Max last year I charged everyday with the 30W apple charger which maxes out at 22W when the battery is below 50% charge. My battery health was 98% after one year.
For my iPhone 13 Pro Max I continue to use the 30W charger everyday but the 13 can now charge at 27W maximum this time around. Still 100% battery health currently.
For my iPhone 12 Pro Max last year I charged everyday with the 30W apple charger which maxes out at 22W when the battery is below 50% charge. My battery health was 98% after one year.
For my iPhone 13 Pro Max I continue to use the 30W charger everyday but the 13 can now charge at 27W maximum this time around. Still 100% battery health currently.
Warmth indicates work being done. If that work is done faster, then the heat generated will be concentrated in that shorter time span. If the work goes slower, the heat generated will be spread over a longer period. Overall, if you were to count the calories - similar number of calories.
There's a basic principle that exposing batteries (and other electronic components) to higher temperatures will shorten overall life. Whether that heat comes from charging the battery or discharging the battery isn't going to matter much. Best route towards long battery life? Don't charge too fast, and don't use the phone in ways that use a lot of power (phone calls, high-intensity calculations/graphics, etc.).
But to me, the entire phone is a tool. Tools are meant to be used to do work. If you wear it out sooner, it means you've been doing more work. By all means, avoid abusing your tool so it's available to do work for as long as possible. But anything short of "abuse" is "normal use" - if you avoid normal use in order to make something last longer... then what's the point of having the thing in the first place?
There's a basic principle that exposing batteries (and other electronic components) to higher temperatures will shorten overall life. Whether that heat comes from charging the battery or discharging the battery isn't going to matter much. Best route towards long battery life? Don't charge too fast, and don't use the phone in ways that use a lot of power (phone calls, high-intensity calculations/graphics, etc.).
But to me, the entire phone is a tool. Tools are meant to be used to do work. If you wear it out sooner, it means you've been doing more work. By all means, avoid abusing your tool so it's available to do work for as long as possible. But anything short of "abuse" is "normal use" - if you avoid normal use in order to make something last longer... then what's the point of having the thing in the first place?
Technology changes pretty darn fast. This includes batteries and battery chargers. Not that long ago GaN technology was new and exciting and now, a great deal of chargers use it. Batteries too change. Here's a fast read on Oppo.
Oppo's New Phone Batteries Can Actually Heal Over Time
Not only do the batteries heal, but they charge unreasonably quickly.
www.howtogeek.com
Apparently it doesn’t damage your battery either, it actually increases your battery longevity. ? impressive stuff. ?Technology changes pretty darn fast. This includes batteries and battery chargers. Not that long ago GaN technology was new and exciting and now, a great deal of chargers use it. Batteries too change. Here's a fast read on Oppo.
Oppo's New Phone Batteries Can Actually Heal Over Time
Not only do the batteries heal, but they charge unreasonably quickly.
Ok so that’s what it is. I was looking at people with iPhone 13 pros still have 100 and was thinking something wrong with my phone. But it’s just the small battery causing this.
If you plan to only charge overnight, then I wouldn't use any of these chargers, and instead stick with 5W charger.
If you are in the middle of the day, and need to quickly top off your phone before you head out, use 20W.
If you are in the middle of the day, and need to quickly top off your phone before you head out, use 20W.
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In my experience with both Android and Apple phones, the faster I charged the phones the faster it destroyed the battery. So now, with my iPhone 13 I either use a 5w charger, or 7.5w wireless charger. Only in an “emergency” do I use the Apple fast charger.
My opinion is that limiting the time at high battery charge will extend the lifetime of the battery. I therefore suggest charge the battery to 60% in the evening and top up in the morning before you leave home. Top up during the day if needed.
For me this charge technique has worked well on my 2020 SE. 91% battery after almost 700 load cycles.