Can I use my iPhone charger with my iPad?
My iPad 1 charger was burned because of high voltage, so it stopped working. Currently, I am using an iPhone 3GS mini charger. It charges the iPad but only very slowly when the iPad is on but the display is off.
- Will it make any problem if I continue using mini charger for charging my iPad 1 or do I need to buy a new charger?
- If yes, what is the price of new charger in India?
Yes, you can use your iPhone charger with the iPad.
This should not damage the iPad or the charger.
However, since the iPad is provided with a lower current the charging takes longer. Both the iPhone and iPad charge with 5V, but the iPad charger provides 2A while the iPhone charger only provides 1A.
This is why it takes longer to charge. You should completely turn off the iPad in order to speed up the charging process.
The 5W, 10W and 12W chargers are all capable of charging an iPhone. The wattage is made up of two variables - voltage and ampage (or amperage if you're American). The wattage also states the MAXIMUM output of the power block.
All three chargers have the same voltage output (5V), the difference comes with the amp output (1A, 2A and 2.4A). For the sake of argument, let's ignore the voltage because it's not really relevant to this discussion (seeing as all the chargers give out 5V).
When using a 5W power supply to charge an iPhone, you will be drawing the maximum current available (1A). If you use a 10W, you'll pull the SAME amount of amps (still 1A), and with a 12W....do you get the point yet?
Two things limit the charging time of your device:
The MAXIMUM output of the charger
The MAXIMUM power draw of the device
If you are using the EXACT right charger (same voltage and ampage as the device) then it will draw the maximum amps/watts available. If you use a higher rated power supply you will STILL pull the same amount of amps/watts but it will no longer be the maximum amount the charger can put out. You will NOT charge your device any faster. A higher-rated power supply will NOT damage your device, because the device will only draw as much current (amps) as it needs. The charger will not force the little electrons into the device any faster than it can handle.
On the other hand, if you put a higher-rated device on a lower-rated charger you will get the following results:
Your device will take a LOT longer to charge. In fact, it may appear not to be charging at all. Experiment for yourself: plug a new iPad 4 into an old USB 1.0 or 2.0 port overnight and see how much charge you've gained in the morning.
You've heard of "trickle charge" right? This is where the current being fed into the internal battery isn't actually enough to properly charge the battery. The battery will be discharging power at almost the same rate at which it is charging. Yes, this will damage your battery over time. You saw it a lot in the original Nokia USB-charging phones - the batteries died after a few years and would no longer maintain charge. There's nothing wrong with doing this as a once-off, for emergencies, or on an irregular basis, but you will do progressive damage to your device if you keep doing this.
At home I have an iPhone 4, 4s, 5 and iPad 4. They all get charged off the same power pack - a 12W (5V, 2.4A) power block that came with my iPad 4. All of my devices charge, none of them have been damaged.
TLDR;
- Using a higher-rated power supply on an iPhone won't damage it or charge it any faster.
- Using a lower-rated power supply on an iPad will charge it very slowly and do progressive damage to the battery.
Moral to the story: buy a 12W charger and use it for all your devices to save carrying multiple chargers.
As per the documentation on the Apple Store site:
Apple 5W USB Power Adapter
iPhones supported: Original, 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S, 5
iPods supported: Touch 1st-5th gen, some of the classic models, Nano 2nd-7th edition, Shuffle 2nd-4th edition
iPads supported: mini (and none other)
and:
Apple 12W USB Power Adapter
iPhones supported, iPods supported: Same as for 5W
iPods additional: Touch 1st gen, Nano 1st gen, A lot more of the classic models
iPads supported: mini, 1st-4th generation
So while you can use the 12W charger to charge both iPhones and iPads, you can not use the 5W charger to charge the iPad, except for the mini.
Note: As others have suggested here, it may (seem to) work, but if you experience any problems, like a burnt out charger and/or iDevice, having used an unsupported combination is sure to put a dent in the warranty plan for the damaged unit.
Note 2: Since the two chargers sell for the same price on the Apple Store, if you have to buy one, buy the 12W charger.