What does 15 minutes of charging really give you?

[Deron Baker]

Everyone knows that 15 minutes can save you 15% or more on car insurance. But do you know that the Turbo charger could get you 8 hours of use on your Droid Turbo? Well, that is Motorola's claim, anyway.

To first analyze this claim, we must see how fast the turbo charger actually charges the phone. (Answer: approximately one battery percentage point per minute.)

To run the experiment, I drained the phone to 10%. I use Gsam Battery Monitor app with the battery percent number in the upper left of the notification tab (visible on the pics below). First pic is right before charging. I then left the phone on the table, screen off. I unlocked the screen every 15 minutes to take a screen shot, up to one hour. Battery increased by 16, 16, 15, and 17 percentage point increments respectively. Just slightly over one percentage point per hour. In essence, if your phone is at 10% battery, it will take 90 minutes to fully charge.

(wifi was left on, but I paused Google Music downloads while charging. Didn't use the phone and received no notifications while it charged.)

Now, we just need to figure out if you can squeeze "8 hours of use" from 15 percentage points of battery. That is more complicated since use is dependent on many variables. But at least we get an idea how fast it charges.

 

[cyberr8der]

If you go by the claim of the phone getting 48 hours on a single charge they're most likely making the 8 hour claim off of those same numbers. That would mean they think a charge of 16% will get you an additional 8 hours.

 

[camachinist]

As my phone came with a 0% charge, 15 minutes gave it about 14% and it was pretty warm. Yesterday, it was down to about 65% and I put it on the charger when hopping into the shower and came back about 15-20 minutes later finding it to be reporting 100% charge. Overall, pretty impressed with this side of the phone, meaning charging and discharge through use. I also noted it charging, albeit slowly, off my laptop when I had it tethered during a power outage night before last. The laptop's battery was pushing a bit to it, though only a couple %.

 

[BlueBlazer60]

Little surprised by the last time block results. IIRC Motorola's description indicated the turbo charging effect would drop off above 50% charge. Of course a better answer is that I misunderstood the article.

I wonder if there is any increase of charging time for the last 26%.

 

[mobrules]

I was at 14% yesterday and used the turbo charger. About 1 hour later I was 100%. I have also tried a couple apple rated chargers 2.1 amp. Most of the family is .

 

[Snareman]

How many amps is the turbocharger rated at?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Firedogee]

I was down to 3% last night and put it on Turbo charger. Went up to 23% WITH THE SCREEN On in just 15min.

Not sure how they do this...

Sent Turbo-fast from my bulletproof 64GB Droid Turbo

 

[beeare]

Either way, I would say it's conceivable to get 6-8 hours of usage after 15 minutes of using the Turbo charger. It once again depends on usage to state what should be the obvious to everyone by now. Anyone buying into the 48 hour claim and expecting to get 48 hours of constant usage is taking things way too literally. This phone can no question get you 48 how with 3-4 hours of screen time no doubt, which frankly I find quite exceptional, and I don't think more than a few other phones, if any, can do that right now. And the same applies for the 8 hour claim. It's somewhat of a marketing ploy to portray things that way, but if you really needed 8 hours of life, and used your phone judiciously to ensure you had it to use, I'm confident it would be possible on 15 minutes of charging.

 

[Snareman]

After my battery wears down a bit today I'll put it and my Maxx next to each other with their respective chargers and see how they compare.

 

[beeare]

After my battery wears down a bit today I'll put it and my Maxx next to each other with their respective chargers and see how they compare.

That will be interesting! Keep us posted on the results

 

[dungoyle]

I was down to 3% last night and put it on Turbo charger. Went up to 23% WITH THE SCREEN On in just 15min.

Not sure how they do this...

Sent Turbo-fast from my bulletproof 64GB Droid Turbo

The Turbo Charger probably converts electricity into Unicorn Tears, and that in turn, charges the phone more quickly.

On a more serious note, I did use a different USB cable than the that came with the Turbo Wall Charger, and it did NOT charge as fast. I'm not saying you have to use the cable that came with the charger, but I am saying you could get different results based on the cable you do use (some are not made as well as others).

 

[Firedogee]

The Turbo Charger probably converts electricity into Unicorn Tears, and that in turn, charges the phone more quickly.

On a more serious note, I did use a different USB cable than the that came with the Turbo Wall Charger, and it did NOT charge as fast. I'm not saying you have to use the cable that came with the charger, but I am saying you could get different results based on the cable you do use (some are not made as well as others).

ROTFL! Also good info, thx.

Sent Turbo-fast from my bulletproof 64GB Droid Turbo

 

[Deron Baker]

.

On a more serious note, I did use a different USB cable than the that came with the Turbo Wall Charger, and it did NOT charge as fast. I'm not saying you have to use the cable that came with the charger, but I am saying you could get different results based on the cable you do use (some are not made as well as others).

I should repeat the process using my Droid Maxx charger to see if there is difference.

 

[dungoyle]

I should repeat the process using my Droid Maxx charger to see if there is difference.

It would be interesting to note.

 

[Deron Baker]

Re-ran the experiment using a non-turbo charger, the Droid Maxx charger. This time, the charge rate was approximately 0.5 percentage points per minute, roughly half the rate from of Turbo charger. Indeed, the Turbo charger makes a big difference.

 

[camachinist]

This morning, at a 1% indicated battery level, 15 minutes gave me 20% on the same indicator, so a 19% move.

 

[Firedogee]

This morning, at a 1% indicated battery level, 15 minutes gave me 20% on the same indicator, so a 19% move.

Did you freak out and have convulsions when you got to 1% like Snareman?

Sent Turbo-fast from my bulletproof 64GB Droid Turbo

 

[camachinist]

Ha, I freak out when five tons is coming at me off the crane; a cell phone dying, not so much!

 

[Snareman]

Did you freak out and have convulsions when you got to 1% like Snareman?

Sent Turbo-fast from my bulletproof 64GB Droid Turbo

If I'm attempting to get the phone to 1% I think I could take it. Casual use to 1% might be a different story.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Snareman]

This morning, at a 1% indicated battery level, 15 minutes gave me 20% on the same indicator, so a 19% move.

So that's slightly faster than the 15% in 15min I got last night starting around 60%

Posted via the Android Central App