iPhone SE (2016) Does charging the iPhone with the iPad Charger (12 Watt) jeopardize battery health?

[johnscully]

Hi,

been thinking about charging my new iPhone SE via the iPad Charger (12 Watt) from my iPad (2018), because with that setup I would have one cable/charger for all my Apple devices (AirPods Pro, Remote). But is there any danger in using the fast charging method with the iPhone SE constantly? I know that Apple says it is ok, but I want to know your experiences with that setup.

Also have the old iPhone SE from 2016 and got a battery replacement 1,5 years ago, always charged it with the iPad Charger (I know, doesn't support fast charging) and the battery health is pretty bad already – but I don't know wether this is from the iPad charger or from something else.

 

[NickName99]

It should be fine. I've used the 10w charger, the 12w charger, and most recently the Apple 30w USB-C charger. All work great on my iPhone XS, my wife's iPhone 11 and iPad Mini 2019.

 

[now i see it]

The number one detrimental affect that every Lithium ion battery maker warns about is charging the battery when it's hot - or charging the battery at a charge rate that makes it hot.

The 12 watt charger is fine to use on an iPhone WHEN THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE IS NOT HOT. Maybe 85°F and cooler.

I use both chargers; the 5 watt little guy and the bigger 12 watt iPad charger both plugged into an extension cord.

I can use the 12watt charger for 8 months out of the year (non summer) but during the summer it will overheat the battery and phone when the air temperature is hot. Really noticeable.

Rule of thumb: If the back of the phone doesn't feel hot when charging with the 12 watt charger, you're fine. If it does - switch to the 5 watt guy.

 

[DevinNj]

It doesn't harm the phone. The new SE supports it: https://www.apple.com/iphone-se/specs/

 

[Apple_Robert]

Apple sells an 18 watt charger for the SE. 12 watt won’t hurt anything.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

My X has exclusively been charged either with the 12w iPad charger or a 7.5w wireless charger for two and a half years and my battery capacity is showing 91% using coconutbattery. I don't have a problem with that

 

[Edd70]

The way I understand it, a load (the iPhone in this case) will only pull the amperage it needs. So charging a phone with a bigger charger than it comes with should be fine, in theory.

But, charging an iPad with a smaller charger (like the one coming with an iPhone) would cause issues. The iPad is pulling more amps than the charger is designed to deliver. Not sure if this would be damaging to the iPad but something tells me it might be.

I have a ton of iPad chargers kicking around and it’s all I use for iOS devices. I never want to be looking around for a charger so they’re in every room and travel bag. Drives me nuts if one goes missing. If my wife moves a charger from one location to another I’m like “Well, we must need another charger”. When she stops moving them, I’ll stop buying them.

 

[ericwn]

Use all kinds of Apple chargers and third party ones from 5-30W on my iOS devices, never experienced an issue from that.

 

[johnscully]

Thanks for the input! Guess then I keep on using the iPad charger for everything.

 

[brucemr]

But, charging an iPad with a smaller charger (like the one coming with an iPhone) would cause issues. The iPad is pulling more amps than the charger is designed to deliver. Not sure if this would be damaging to the iPad but something tells me it might be

This is not an issue (for iPad or charger). The 5w charger will never deliver more than it’s rated 1 amp output.

 

[ACB 123]

Why chance damaging battery in long run....slower charging can not damage but too fast can ...

 

[brucemr]

Thanks for the input! Guess then I keep on using the iPad charger for everything.

PS, .the 12W ipad charger is officially compatible with the original SE (and with every iPhone since the lightning connector came out at iPhone 5). It’s even compatible with Apple watches (lol).

What Apple markets as “fast charging“, which your old SE is not compatible with, refers to those chargers that feature a spec that allows them to change output voltage during the charging. These are the 18W and higher wattage Apple chargers.

For example the 18w starts the charge at 9 volts, then drops later to 5 volt. The 5w and 12w chargers use a constant 5 volts.

 

[rui no onna]

Rule of thumb: If the back of the phone doesn't feel hot when charging with the 12 watt charger, you're fine. If it does - switch to the 5 watt guy.

Yep, this. With high ambient temps, you can really feel it getting hot even through case which is already acting as heat insulation.

Since the iPhone SE (2020) is likely to be the last iPhone with TouchID, I plan on babying it at least as far as charging goes (5W charger only). I typically charge overnight anyway so I don't need it to charge quickly.

 

[MartyvH]

Agreed about heat. It is the big problem to avoid. But there's no use in avoiding a 12-watt charger.