M8 Charging Question

[bwflorida]

What's a simple way to test charging times?
I have the original M8 charger and a new Anker fast charger and want to compare them but not sure how to do that.
Thanks!

 

[mfreeland]

What's a simple way to test charging times?
I have the original M8 charger and a new Anker fast charger and want to compare them but not sure how to do that.
Thanks!

A stop watch? I have both too and the quick charger charges up to about 85% very fast and then slows down to a steady level for the last 10% or so. It's pretty cool...

 

[Mooncatt]

You can use an app like Gsam to check the current. That would tell you instantly if it's faster. Otherwise you just have to plug in and time it both ways.

Fyi, chargers often use generic terms like fast charger, quick charging, etc. That doesn't mean much and you wouldn't see a big difference in charging times on the M8. The M8 can make use of the branded Quick Charge 2.0 (QC2.0) protocol, which allows for higher voltage and amperage inputs. I know Anker does make some QC2.0 chargers, which would greatly speed up charge times. The charger should be labeled as such. It's also most effective with low battery levels. As your battery gets full, the charge current slows down and isn't much different than a regular charger. This is true for all lithium chargers as they near completion, so you probably won't see as big of an improvement from about 80% to full.

 

[IAmSixNine]

To add to what Mooncatt said, most chargers specify the out put current. The base was around 1 amp, with chargers that promote faster charging are around 2 to 2.4 amps. Thats NOT to be confused with quck charge technology which uses higher voltage and current. All standard USB are 5 Volts DC.
IF you really want to get nerdy, i mean technical like i did is go on amazon, buy a USB multimeter which will measure voltage and current and this is the best and most accurate way to get the readings.
Do an amazon search for DROK and you will see a few different styles. Other companies make them but they seem to have a pretty wide variety.