Charging Terminology

In the charging tech world there are terms that are used to describe things that may not be so clear to understand. It’s important to know what these words mean because they are heavily related to the quality and the traits that a charging product may have.

Let’s get started on these terms that you should know the meaning of when you read them, hear or see them on articles, reviews or product pages.

mAh

An acronym that is short for Milliamp Hour. It’s the measurement of the capacity for a battery. Primarily used to tell the capacity of power banks and smartphones, there are many other devices that use the same kind of battery capacity measurement.

Example: The capacity of the iPhone 6 is 1,810mAh. The capacity of the Anker PowerCore 5000 is 5,000mAh. The PowerCore 5000 can charge your iPhone 6 about 2.5 times. You’d just subtract the capacity of your phone from the power bank you’re using until the power bank reaches a capacity of 0mAh. That’s how you know how much charges you can get from a power bank.

The higher mAh for a battery, the better because it’s the capacity of the battery.

 

Amps

Amps refers to the current or energy rate that is being transferred to the device that is being charged. Amps can refer to the Output or Input charging.

There’s a range of Amp currents for different charging products.

1.0A means that there’s a 1.0 Amp of charging speed. 1.0 is the slowest charging speed and should be avoided with most charging electronics.

Standard Amp charging for chargers are 2.0 Amps and 2.1 Amps. The highest rate of amp charging that you can get from standard charging technology is 2.4 Amps.

The next level of charging is 3.0 Amps. 3 Amps of charging goes into the category of Quick Charge charging capabilities.

Then there’s the epitome of charging Amps which is 4.0A. charging speed of 4 Amps is currently achievable with the One Plus Three. A phone that uses a 4.0A charging output.

 

Voltage

Voltage refers to the stability of charging speed for a charger. The base for most recharging electronics are 5 Volts. If there are more Voltage options for a charger, then that means the Amp current for a charger can stay at the same speed for a longer time.

A charger with 5 Volts and a output of 2.0 may be at 2.0A charging speed but will also regress down to 1.0A if the Voltage of the charger decreases at anytime.

A charger with Voltage capabilities of 5V/10V/15V and a output of 2.4A, can stay at a Amp current of 2.4A for a longer time and can stabilize at a higher Amp current for a longer period of time.

Just because a charger has a higher Amp current does not mean that it will charge at that speed constantly. Voltage is equally important.

 

Output

Outputs refers to the charging that is being done to the external device.

Example: The output of the charger is – 5V / 2.0A

If a smartphone is connected to a power bank, then that is Output charging taking place. This means that the smartphone is charging at 5 Volts and 2.0 Amps.

 

Input

Input refers to the charging that is being done to the charging device itself.

Example: The Input of the charger is – 5V / 2.1A

If a power bank is connected to a wall charger via a Micro USB cable or whatever cable is connected into the Input port then that is Input charging taking place. Input for a power bank refers to the rate of recharging for the Power bank or another device that holds power as its sole purpose of holding energy, like a Battery Case.

 

Quick Charge Quick Charge

 

Quick Charge charging refers to the technology from Qualcomm. It’s a fast charging technology that is able to charge compatible smartphones at 3.0 Amps.

Notice how we said, “Compatible Smartphones”. Quick Charge works with smartphones that have certain Qualcomm processors. Learn more about Quick Charge technology here.

 

Smart Charging

Different

Smart Charging refers to the detection charging technology that many tech companies now specialize in. Smart Charging is able to detect the device you have and charge it at the fastest possible charging speed.

 

IP Water Proof Rating

IP in terms of water proofing refers to rating of how much of a device is water proof.

Example:

IP66 – The product is dust tight and can withstand protection against water shot out from a nozzle.

IP68 – The product is dust tight and can withstand protection against complete water exposure.

Know more about enclosure safety rating for products here.