iPad charger gets hot while charging

I've had an iPad 3 for a few years now and lately I've noticed that: a) it's taking longer for it to charge; and b) the charger gets hot while charging the iPad. Now I realize some heat dissipation is inevitable but I was wondering what temperatures are admissible for the charger. To that effect, I used an IR camera to take a picture of the charger while charging:


User uploaded file


Notice the temperature's even higher near the point where the charger and the cable meet, around 70°C. Is the charger working as intended? I was wondering if the "high" (that's my perception) heat output is tied to the iPad's longer charging period. My reasoning is that if it wastes more energy as heat, then it uses less energy to charge the iPad.


I should probably clarify I have a 10W USB Power Adapter.

iPad (3rd gen) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iOS 9.3.5, null

Posted on Nov 16, 2016 9:49 AM

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2 replies

Nov 16, 2016 10:44 AM in response to OdanUrr

General rule of thumb is if it's too hot to touch comfortably, it's too hot. With your iPad being older, the battery may be beginning to fail and this may cause the charger to run much warmer than normal trying to push a charge into a failing battery.


I would take the whole group (iPad, charger and charging cable) in to an Apple Store for a free evaluation where they will check all components, including the iPad's battery.


http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/

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iPad charger gets hot while charging

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