Do Shorter Phone Charger Cables Charge Faster?

Your phone is charging slowly. Really slowly. And you can't seem to identify the culprit.

You plugged everything in. Your phone is on and shows that it's charging, but the fast charging isn't working. You're starting to worry that you'll need to send your phone in for repairs.

Believe it or not, the problem of a slow charging speed might be the length of your charging cable.

The characteristics of a cable affect its charging speed. The thickness of the wire and the resistance of the cable are both important aspects to keep in mind.

Today you'll learn how phone charging works, and how to make your phone charge faster.

How Fast Charging Makes Your Phone Charge Faster

Fast charging is a newish technology. It allows modern smartphones to charge from empty to full battery life in record time. Sometimes in as little as 9 minutes.

So how does this technology work?

First, it starts with your power block. The adapter you plug into the wall serves as a regulator for how much current you can put into your phone.

Watts and Fast Charging

When it comes to electricity, it's all about the watts. To determine watts, you have to multiply the current by the voltage.

Current is the amount of electricity that the wires are transmitting. Voltage is the power of the current (i.e. how much current it can push forward at a time).

So charging adapters with higher wattage can put more energy into your phone, faster.

But none of this matters if your phone isn't rated for fast charging. Just because you plug your phone into a higher-watt charger doesn't mean it will charge faster.

Your phone will charge faster if you use a fast-charging adapter and a charging cable rated for your preferred charging speed. This means using a cable manufacturer recommend for your phone.

This is why if you plug your phone into a random power block, you won't get faster-charging speeds. It's likely that the block produces wattage designed for another device.

The same goes if you plug your phone into an airport's USB hub or a USB hub on your desktop. These hubs usually use smaller wattage so they can work with any electronic devices.

Charging Speed and Cables

There's one piece of this puzzle that we're forgetting: the charging wire. A good charging wire can make all the difference.

Not all cables are equal. Manufacturers design some cables to carry more current and voltage (watts). These cables are necessary to enable fast charging.

You might think that you can take any cable and, as long as you have the fast charging adapter, your phone will charge at fast speeds. However, that cable is as essential to the process as the adapter and phone's designed specifications.

How Does the Charging Cable Affect the Charging Speed?

First of all, the charging cable has a certain gauge (the thickness of the wire). Gauge determines how much power it can send.

The quality of the cable likewise affects charging speed. Good conductive materials and quality manufacturing transmit more power.

But as you read above, there's another important factor: the length of the cable.

It may seem surprising that longer cables or shorter cables can affect charging speed. Electricity travels faster than you can blink. The electric company in your neighborhood has cables that run for miles!

There's a concept known as resistance. Resistance means that as electricity travels down a wire, a small part of it doesn't make it to the other end. So you might put 50 watts down a cable, but only 48 make it to the other side.

Resistance is usually very small, but it does affect charging speed. The longer the cable, the more resistance. The shorter the cable, the less resistance.

So if you have a 6-foot cable, your phone will charge much more slowly than if you were using a 3-foot cable. Your adapter is dumping X amount of watts, but only Y amount makes it to the end because of the cable's resistance.

Tips to Improve Your Phone Charging Speed

Now that we've covered the basics, let's discuss a few things you can do to improve the charging speed of your electronic devices.

First, use your phone's original fast-charging adapter. Conversely, buy a fast-charging adapter that has the same wattage. Purchasing an adapter that has less wattage will slow your charging speed.

Second, use the original manufacturer's cable. The manufacturer designed it to work with fast charging. With phones that have very fast charging speeds, they might require the original cable to work.

If you need a third-party cable, get one that is 3 feet long or less and avoid longer cables if possible. Remember, the shorter the cable, the faster the charging time.

If you plan to use wireless charging, make sure you get a wireless charger that can fast charge. A wireless charger provides a very convenient way of charging your phone without cables. Generally speaking, though, they are much slower than a cable.

Maximize Your Phone Charging Speed

Now you know all the secrets to making your phone charge faster. Longer cables, substandard cables, and incorrect adapters slow the charging speed of your devices. Make sure you check your phone's manual to know what wattage you need for your adapters and cables.

Now that you've improved your charging speed at home, it's time to maximize it on the road. A quality device can ensure you take those fast charging speeds everywhere you go.