The Apple Watch series 4 comes with a small power brick. If I use an Apple 12W power brick, will it charge faster? If so, how much faster? (I’m trying to sleep with the watch on, so charging speed is of the essence.) Thanks!
No, the small device supplied with the watch has more available power than the watch will request. The charging current is actually controlled by the device being charged, subject to the maximum the adapter can supply. If the adapter has a higher rating the excess capability is simply not used - think of it like driving a 500hp sports car in city traffic, where your right foot never asks for more than 50 hp.
I believe Apple’s smallest charger power adapter is rated at 5W (1000 mA), double the basic USB port on a computer which can output 500 mA. Your Apple Watch probably reaches maximum charge rate around 200-300 mA (my guess based on reported battery size) so the standard charger will never reach maximum output. The watch software will not allow it to charge faster or at a potentially unsafe rate.
No, the small device supplied with the watch has more available power than the watch will request. The charging current is actually controlled by the device being charged, subject to the maximum the adapter can supply. If the adapter has a higher rating the excess capability is simply not used - think of it like driving a 500hp sports car in city traffic, where your right foot never asks for more than 50 hp.
I believe Apple’s smallest charger power adapter is rated at 5W (1000 mA), double the basic USB port on a computer which can output 500 mA. Your Apple Watch probably reaches maximum charge rate around 200-300 mA (my guess based on reported battery size) so the standard charger will never reach maximum output. The watch software will not allow it to charge faster or at a potentially unsafe rate.
The page for charging the watch does not indicate that that is possible.
Just in case I didn’t make it clear, using a higher rated charger will not do any harm. It will simply be asked to provide an even smaller % of its maximum output.
Thank you Branta_uk!
Will Apple Watch Series 4 charge faster with 12W charger?
