Chicago
Track Your Order
0
Your phone charger is slowly dying while plugged in—here's why
People fall into two distinct camps when it comes to phone chargers: those who religiously unplug them when they're done, and the rest of us who leave them plugged in indefinitely. If you belong to the latter camp, allow me to offer a few compelling reasons why unplugging your charger is the smarter move.
Chargers draw power, even when they aren't charging
But power isn't the problem
Regardless of how old you are, there's a non-zero chance you got yelled at by an angry parent about unplugging chargers and other appliances because they still draw power when not in use—technically speaking, they're right. However, the real concern with this so-called "vampire power" isn't that it's going to drive your electric bill up. Chargers draw a fraction of a watt when they're not in use.
The real issue is that your charger's delicate internals are under constant electrical stress. Capacitors are the weakest part and usually the first to go—they have a finite lifespan. These tiny electronic components are responsible for smoothing out the incoming AC voltage to provide a steady DC output for your phone.
They do this by storing a tiny amount of charge, kind of like a battery. You can see this in action yourself by unplugging your charger from the wall while it's still charging your phone. The phone will continue to receive power for a few seconds, until the capacitors discharge.
As someone who never keeps my charger plugged in, I typically unplug the charger first, and only remove the USB-C cable once the capacitors have discharged.
When a charger stays plugged in all the time, the capacitors continue to work, even when it's not necessary. Over the years, this constant heat and voltage cycling have caused chemical degradation in the capacitors, eventually leading to failure. That’s a frustrating problem, since an original replacement fast charger like the Samsung 45W unit can set you back around $25–$30. The cost is even more painful if it’s a high-end third-party model, like the $150 160W Anker Prime Charger.
Generic chargers pose a small but real safety hazard
Some people put a dangerous amount of trust in unknown electronics
Original wall adapters that you buy in stores or are lucky to get with your phone for free are made of fairly decent quality. In fact, they're designed and thoroughly tested to work safely with your phone.
In some cases, you need to use them to achieve your phone's maximum fast charging speeds. My OnePlus 15 will only charge ultra-fast if I use the proprietary 120W SuperVOOC charger, for instance. Part of it likely comes down to how the charger and phone communicate to keep temperatures low.
However, if you skimped on your wall adapter and bought the first generic-brand one you could find in Walmart, there's a real possibility it's not a high-quality product. These low-cost, uncertified chargers—made with bottom-of-the-bin electronics, poor insulation, and non-thermal-resistant plastics—pose a real electrical and fire hazard.
They might be good enough to charge your phone and even support fast charging, but the quality could rear its ugly head at the worst possible moment, such as when the charger is sitting plugged into your wall while nobody's home.
Realistically, can you trust a $7 "GaN" charger you got on AliExpress when a Ugreen Nexode 65W GaN charger costs $28 (and that's on sale)? I know I can't.
A charger that's plugged in can lead to accidental trips and broken cables
The only thing worse than stepping on a Lego
Another reason why you should avoid keeping your charger plugged in is because it's exposed to potential physical damage, especially if it's in a busy corner of the room. The adapter sticking out of the wall or power strip acts as a lever, and an accidental trip when you're in a rush could break the adapter into two pieces while it's still plugged in or potentially even tear the wall outlet out of the wall.
Cables are a special kind of hassle to deal with if you keep your charger plugged in.
A cable left trailing on the floor is bound to be stepped on, and if that’s ever happened to you when you're barefoot, you know how much it hurts. Moreover, the connector or cable can get crushed by furniture, doors, rolling office chairs, heavy shoes, or other objects, eventually causing it to fail.
A smart plug is the perfect solution if you can't sacrifice the convenience
It's the best way to split the difference
If you absolutely can't live with the fact that you're better off unplugging your charger because it inconveniences you, I completely understand. If your charger is usually plugged in behind a sofa or under a table, you might be thinking that it’s easier to replace the charger when it fails than to struggle with plugging the adapter in every time you want to charge your device.
Enter the humble smart plug. It's the perfect solution to this problem because it lets you cut the power flowing to your charger remotely when you're done with it, which is basically the same as unplugging it. The charger might still be exposed to the potential physical damage I discussed above, but it’s not really an issue if you keep the cable at your desk and the outlet is hard to reach.
