[AC Question]

I have a Samsung Galaxy s4 and it has always charged very well. Recently I have purchased some new chargers and none of them seem to be very powerful. I have purchased rapid chargers, 2.0.. a variety of chargers. The charger I owned for over a year and the car charger will charge extremely quickly, but any new charger is so slow. It will actually drain the battery if I am using it while plugged in. I have never experienced this before. Have they changed the chargers? I feel I've wasted so much money. How can I be sure to get a charger that will actually work?

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Have you tried different charging cables as well? If you're using a faulty or inappropriate cable, it wouldn't matter what kind of charging plug you're using.

[Laurabean113]

I have used different cables and ports. I've purchased a few different combined port/cables that say they are rapid charge and I have also purchased some separately. I just know that everything I've purchased in the past 3 months does not charge nearly as well as my car charger nor the cord I have had for a year +. When I change the cords but use the same port it will show a longer charge time depending on the cord (old vs new) What can I look for in ordering a cord and/or charge port to ensure that it will work?

[Laurabean113]

Original post is from me. I forgot to log in before posting.

[B. Diddy]

For Samsung devices, it seems especially important to use your original charging cable (or some other official Samsung cable). Not to say that 3rd party cables won't work, but I have seen more posts on these forums about 3rd party cables not working well with Samsung devices compared to other phones. Do you still have your original cable?

[Rukbat]

What can I look for in ordering a cord and/or charge port to ensure that it will work?

With a Samsung, look for the Samsung logo on the USB-A plug. Samsung plays games with the port, shorting different pins on different phones to indicate various states, like "charging from a USB 2.0 computer" or "charging from a rapid charger". For a normal charge (not rapid or fast charge), almost any cable will work, but for anything else I'd stick to a factory cable. (If you need more, you can buy them from brick and mortar stores or online. But the ones you get in pharmacies for $5 probably won't give you a fast charge.)

[extraclass]

Not all chargers nor all cables work with all phones. O have done a bunch of testing and found out there is no way to tell by the name and the only way to be sure a certain charger and a certain cable will work with my phone or tablet is to use an inline amp meter. You can get one on ebay for about $5 and plug it into the charger, plug in the cable and plug it into the phone! It will tell you how many Milliamps you are charging with the current combination!

Check these two links to see what I am talking about!

USB Charger Doctor Digital led Current Voltage Charging battery Volt Amp meter

LED Digital USB Power Current Voltage Amp Tester Mobile Charger Monitor Meter

[Laurabean113]

I purchased 2 chargers that said Samsung right on them. These are 2 of the ones that do not work with my phone. I specifically went with what was labeled as an official Samsung charger. The one I do have that words great does NOT say Samsung on it and I cannot remember where it came from. It is not my original charger.. now mind you there are 5 Samsung devices in my home with only one charger that actually will charge. So, I'm trying to find out if anyone knows a charger that will work and if so can you share a link? I can tell right away by the time it tells me it will take for my phone to charge, but I'm trying to avoid spending hundreds on chargers that don't work. Thanks!

[Laurabean113]

Thanks B.Diddy.. This is exactly what I've done, but they have not been working for me. I was hoping someone would have a link to something that they knew worked.

[extraclass]

I have had good luck with the Samsung chargers and Samsung cables. Be sure they are Samsung OEM and not a look alike. I have had them charge my Samsung Tab 3 with 1800 Milliamps! Play around with different cables and these chargers. They work for me!

[Mustang5point0lx]

I've been using the white factory cable until recently when the wire insulation cracked around the plug ends, exposing the wiring inside. Got a cheap replacement with a 90 degree angled plug off some site .. lol idk where. It was only $5. Aside of the cord being thin, it works just fine with the stock charger. Im using it right now, charging while in use and it's gaining charge. And believe me, im familiar with the random super slow charging issues. Usually because of Samsungs proprietary USB pin not making a good connection (and this is also why Samsung chargers don't charge fast on non Samsung devices. Those other devices are missing that extra pin that tells the charger to switch to high output mode. The same is true for some USB cords)

Here's another thing. The old white cord still works aside of the damage. I got out the charger for my HTC Rezound and plugged the old usb cord into that..... and it certainly does charge the S4. It didn't seem slow. Maybe it is a (little bit) slower but I didnt notice. I still used internet while charging. The Rezound charger put out something around 1.2A while the Samsung is rated at 2.0A. I'm sure the charging speed would have slowed a lot had I been playing a graphic intensive game or in a full screen video call. Just curious... what Android version are you running (Jellybean, Kitkat, Lollipop)? I am currently rooted on Jellybean 4.3. I wonder if that is affecting it. I do find it odd that Samsung branded chargers are not charging. Are they official Samsung... not Chinese knock-offs? Did you buy in the store or off a website?