Cell Phone Data Cables

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CELL PHONE CHARGERS
  MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW...

Every cell phone sold today comes with a standard travel charger for recharging your phone's battery. But with the rate at which phones consume battery power, often times you aren't at home when you need a little boost. A spare travel charger or a cell phone car charger is a great way to keep your phone charged up.

This guide is meant to be a quick reference to find the best phone charger for your needs, and explain some useful safety and maintenance tips for any cell phone charger.

Q: What is the difference between OEM and aftermarket chargers?

A: OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. It is a fancy way of calling something "name brand". Aftermarket Data Cables are made by third party manufacturers and are designed to meet the same specifications as OEM products. AFTERMARKET DOES NOT MEAN REFURBISHED. These are brand new items. There are, however, differences in the quality of aftermarket chargers. A tell tale sign that a company might be selling low quality products is if they have a strict return policy, or limited warranties. Companies with long term warranties and easy return policies tend to only source quality aftermarket products.

Q: What is the difference between a heavy duty charger and a standard charger?

A: While browsing our site, you may come across a few different types of chargers. The difference between a heavy duty cell phone charger and a standard charger is the thickness and length of the cord. Heavy duty chargers are also sometimes equipped with a higher quality IC chip that can lead to quicker recharging speeds.

We also carry retractable cord chargers. These portable Data Cables use a much thinner cord that allows them to spool inside the charger's casing, reducing cord clutter considerably. Typically recharge times are on par with standard chargers.

Q: What is the difference between a mini-USB and a micro-USB? How do I know which one my phone takes?

A: Micro USB is a newer technology and is smaller than Mini USB ports. The Micro USB port will be the standard charging port on all phones moving forward, and is already the standard for virtually every major brand of cell phone that has been released recently. They only exception is Apple, which uses a proprietary 30 pin charging port to charge their devices.

Several older phones also use proprietary charging ports specific to their manufacturer. In these instances, you will need to identify your phone's picture on our brand pages and only select a cell phone battery charger listed under that phone to ensure compatibility. You could also choose a universal charger, which comes with several adapters, making them compatible with most phones.

Q: If I leave my phone plugged into my charger for too long, can I overheat or damage my phone?

A: While it is never a good idea to leave any electronic device plugged in unnecessarily, it is almost impossible to damage your phone by leaving it plugged into a power source for too long. All the chargers sold at Wireless Emporium are ISO certified and equipped with smart IC chips, which prevent a device from overcharging. Lithium Ion batteries also are equipped with fail safes that prevent the cell phone battery from overcharging.

If you do leave your charger plugged into an outlet for an extended period of time and the charger becomes hot to the touch, this is a sign that you have a bad charger and should replace it immediately.

For cell phone car chargers, we recommend that you don't leave them plugged into your cigarette lighter when not in use. Starting your car's engine with a car charger plugged in could send a surge of electricity through the charger and short the fuse in your car or in your charger.

Q: The LED light on my car charger doesn't light up when plugged into my car's cigarette lighter?

A: While it is possible that you have a faulty charger, it could also be a blown fuse connected to your car's cigarette lighter. Check to see if the lighter heats up, or plug in another device to test if the fuse has gone bad. If your cigarette lighter appears to be in working order, you may have a faulty car charger and should replace it immediately.

Q: How do I know if my charger is compatible with the milliamp rating on my battery?

A: The Milliamp rating on your battery is an indication of capacity (how much charge your battery holds). The higher the milliamp rating, the more power the cell phone battery holds. Chargers are designed to be compatible with any milliamp rating, however, the higher the rating the longer it will take a charger to fully recharge the battery.

For example: If you have a charger that charges at a rate of 400 Milliamps/hour, and your battery is a 800 milliamp battery, then it will take 2 hours to fully charge.

Q: Will my charger work overseas?

A: Just like any other electronic device purchased in the US, you will need to buy an adapter for European outlets if you want your cell phone travel charger to work while you are traveling abroad.

Q: If I have a dual port charger, will I still be able to charge my devices at the same speed?

A: One of the great conveniences of having a dual port charger is the ability to charge multiple devices at the same time. But because the phone charger's effort is being split between two devices, you will experience a slightly slower recharge time. In instances where you are charging a cell phone and a Bluetooth device, the difference will be negligible, because the Milliamps required to charge the Bluetooth headset are so small when compared to a larger cell phone battery.

There are also 2-in-1 chargers that will work both as a car charger and as a travel charger. In addition to the convenience and value of only needing one charger, the charging times with these devices are just as fast as a standalone car charger or travel charger.

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