Tag: charging

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Mobile Syrup

All Apple chargers should have two ports

When Apple launched the new M2 MacBook Air at WWDC, one of the notable changes was that it sold the laptop with three different charger options.

  • 30-watt (single USB-C)
  • 35-watt (dual USB-C)
  • 67-watt (single USB-C)

Originally, I recommended that people pay a little extra for the fast charger. It made sense; fast chargers come in handy when you really needed to top up your computer in 30 minutes or less.

However, when Apple sent over the M2 Air review unit, I ended up with the dual port 35-watt option, which quickly became the most used charger in my house. I’m not saying you need an Apple-branded charger with more than one port, but anything small and portable with at least two ports can easily streamline your setup.

When you have two devices plugged in, it splits the 35 watts so each device only gets around 17.5 watts of power, but that’s still enough to fast charge an iPhone and keep your laptop topped up (as long as it’s an Air). The new charger makes me think that Apple is on the right track, but it should work to ensure that its more powerful bricks can charge more than one device at a time too.

For instance, if my 97-watt MacBook Pro charger had more than one port, without adding a retro PlugBug (I’m kind of shocked those are still around), I’m sure it would be used often instead of sitting on my shelf. That said, it’s so large that it doesn’t stay in wall outlets securely, so making it smaller or flatter, like the 35-watt model, would improve its use cases.

MobileSyrup’s Jon Lamont wrote about a 45-watt Ugreen brick, and it packs even more power than the Apple plug into a smaller form factor, and he felt the same way as me. Small and powerful chargers are so convenient that they put everything else to shame.

Overall, it feels like we’re on the cusp of charging brick greatness, so make sure the next charger you get can do more than one device at a time.

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Mobile Syrup

Ontario, Quebec getting more EV chargers through fed investment

Ontario and Quebec are set to get a ton of new electric vehicle (EV) charging thanks to new government investment.

Announced on June 30th, the federal government will invest over $3.5 million in Baseland Power to install 31 Level 2 EV chargers and 67 fast chargers across the two provinces. The funding comes from Natural Resource Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP). The project’s total cost is over $10.5 million.

Moreover, all the chargers will be available by November 2022.

“We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play. Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in Ontario, will put more Canadians in the driver’s seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, in a press release.

Canada has invested $1 billion since 2015 to improve EV affordability and charger accessibility. That includes helping to establish a “coast-to-coast network” of chargers and federal rebates of up to $5,000 for Canadians who switch to EVs.

The government’s 2022 budget includes an additional $1.7 billion to extend that incentive program until March 2025. Additionally, the extension adds new types of vehicles to the program, such as vans, trucks, and SUVs. The budget also provides an extra $400 million to Natural Resources Canada to continue deploying zero-emission vehicle infrastructure by extending the ZEVIP to March 2027.

You can learn more about the EV charger announcement here.

Source: Natural Resources Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Google confirms the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro charge at 21W, 23W respectively

Google has published a blog post detailing how the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro charge and why the smartphones charge that way.

The post seems to be primarily a response to reports that the Pixel 6 series doesn’t have the 30W charging capability Google advertised (the initial report came from Android Authority early in November). However, before we dig too further into it, it’s worth noting Google didn’t actually say the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro had 30W wired charging.

There seem to be two main problems at play here. The first is that the Pixel 6 series doesn’t charge at 30W. The second is that the Pixel phones don’t charge as fast as Google claims. Neither of these problems are true, however, and the outcry seems a bit overblown with that in mind. I also want to be clear that I’m not defending Google — in fact, I think Google’s poor communication is largely to blame for all this — nor am I detracting from Android Authority’s excellent report that breaks down how the Pixel 6 charging works and how fast it actually is.

With all that said, let’s break down what’s going on with the Pixel 6 charging.

What Google claimed

The whole issue appears to stem from a Google support document that details the hardware specifications for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The chart says the following about charging:

“Fast charging: Up to 50 percent charge in 30 minutes with Google 30W USB-C. Charger with USB-PD 3.0 (PPS) sold separately.”

At first glance, it certainly appears that the support document says the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro support 30W charging, but that text-only mentions using Google’s 30W charger and doesn’t say anything about the phone’s charging capabilities. Further, the support doc points to the following fine print:

“9. Fast wired charging rates are based upon use of the Google 30W USB-C Charger plugged into a wall outlet. Compatible with USB PD 3.0 PPS adapters. Actual results may be slower. Adapters sold separately. Charging speed based upon testing with device batteries drained to 1 percent and charged with Google 30W USB-C Charger, sold separately. Charging testing conducted by Google in mid-2021 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings with the device powered on. Charging speed depends upon many factors including usage during charging, battery age, and ambient temperature. Actual charging speed may be slower.
10. Wireless charging rates up to 21W (Pixel 6) and up to 23W (Pixel 6 Pro) charging with Google Pixel Stand (2nd gen), sold separately. Up to 12W with Qi-certified EPP chargers, sold separately. Actual results may be slower.”

Again, there’s no mention of the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro’s actual wired charging speed. The text only details measuring charging speed with Google’s 30W charger. Admittedly, it’s really confusing and absolutely misleading. The way Google described this makes it sound like the Pixel 6 series has 30W charging even though it doesn’t. Frankly, that’s unacceptable, but to me it seems that’s been skipped over to focus on the charging speed itself.

How fast the Pixel 6 Pro charges

Android Authority’s charging tests revealed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro charged at a maximum output of 22W when using Google’s 30W adapter. Additionally, the publication found in its testing that the Pixel 6 Pro maintains that level of charging until about 50 percent, then reduces the charging speed significantly.

The time to charge from zero to 50 percent was 31 minutes, as measured by Android Authority. That’s only a minute longer than what Google officially claimed.

However, Android Authority measured that after reaching 62 percent charge, the phone reduced the amount of power to 15W. The Pixel 6 Pro held that power level until 75 percent charge, then dropped to 12W. Again, the phone held that level until 85 percent charge. From there, the power level gradually fell to as low as 2.5W as the battery approached 100 percent capacity.

All told, Android Authority measured a total charge time of 111 minutes for the Pixel 6 Pro using Google’s 30W charger, with the phone taking 31 minutes to hit 50 percent.

Google’s charging info was misleading, but it wasn’t wrong

Again, Google didn’t claim that the Pixel 6 series supported 30W charging (even though the language used was incredibly misleading). Google said the Pixel 6 phones would charge to 50 percent in 30 minutes. Android Authority validated that.

To be abundantly clear, that doesn’t mean people can’t be upset by the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro charging capabilities. In fact, I’d argue the criticism is justified, especially when you consider that the Pixel 6 Pro takes 121 minutes to fully charge using the old 18W Google charging brick. Springing for the 30W charger only gets you a 10-minute faster charge time. The issue I have is with the claim that Google lied about the Pixel 6 series having 30W charging when the company didn’t actually say that.

Google’s new support post adds additional context to these findings but ultimately reiterates what the company already said: the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro can charge to 50 percent in about 30 minutes and 80 percent in about an hour. The only other notable information is that the Pixel 6 maxes out at 21W and the 6 Pro at 23W of charging. Although Android Authority measured 22W for the 6 Pro, it acknowledges that the 1W difference is within the “margin of error from our testing.”

Finally, the takeaway from this should be that if you have Google’s 18W charger from a previous Pixel (or another similarly-specced charging brick), you really don’t need to get the 30W charger.

Source: Android Authority, Google, (2)

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Mobile Syrup

Apple Watch Series 7 requires at least a 5W USB-C adapter for fast charging

Apple says its new Watch Series 7 can recharge up to 33 percent faster than the Series 6, going from zero to 80 percent in just 45 minutes.

That’s great and all, but you’ll need a few things to make it actually work.

The first (and the easiest) thing is a new USB-C charging cable for the Apple Watch. Thankfully, Apple includes one of these new cables in the box with the Watch Series 7. However, if you need another one, you can get one from the Apple Store for $39.

The other thing you’ll need is a USB-C power brick capable of putting out the right amount of power. Previously, it wasn’t clear how much power the Watch Series 7 needed, but a new support document from Apple (spotted by MacRumors) clears it up.

In short, you’ll need a USB-C power brick that supports at least 5W over USB Power Delivery (USB PD) or greater. Although Apple doesn’t include a power brick in the Watch Series 7 box, it likely won’t be too hard to come by something that puts out at least 5W — for example, the Pixel charger sitting on my desk can output 15W or 18W of power.

As a refresher for those who didn’t read our article about iPhone 13 charging, you can calculate the watt output of a charging bring by multiplying the volts and amps listed in the fine print on the charging brick (assuming the brick doesn’t just list the wattage outright).

It’s also worth noting that if you want to stick with just Apple accessories, the minimum option is Apple’s 18W USB-C charging brick. I couldn’t find the 18W one on the Apple Canada website, but the next step up (20W) is available for $25.

Along with the 18W and 20W options, Apple’s support page says that its 29W, 30W, 61W, 87W or 96W adapters will all fast-charge the Watch Series 7. The 5W requirement stands for third-party chargers.

All that said, there’s probably a decent chance you already have a 5W USB-C charging brick you can use for the new Apple Watch. If not, you can either fork out at least $25 for the Apple brick or grab one of the countless options on Amazon ranging between $10 and $35 in price.

Source: Apple Via: MacRumors