Can I use an Old Charger to charge a new iPhone?
As new iPhones do not come with chargers anymore, can you use an old charger to charge a new iPhone? Let’s find out.
Yes, you can use an old iPhone charger to charge a new iPhone, as new iPhones accept 5 volts. It will work but will take much more time to charge.
To find out if an old iPhone charger can still be used with new iPhones like the 13 and 14, I had to check all the technical details. I checked what power new iPhones accept and need, and what power old iPhone chargers are capable to deliver. Once I found both, I just had to compare the values and test the old charger myself.
Old charger volts and current
For old chargers, I consider the charger delivered by Apple with the iPhone 7 and below, before fast charging was a thing on Apple devices.
These old chargers for iPhones were quite simple, here are the technical details about the current delivered:
- 5 watts
- 5 volts
- 1 amp
There was no fast charging feature yet, meaning that the charger was not able to deliver different kinds of power.
Once the iPhone 8 was released, Apple changed the charger delivered with the iPhones, as the iPhone 8 had a fast charging feature. These new chargers had a USB-C port and could deliver 18W of power.
The charging power needed by new iPhones
Since then, Apple released two new different chargers. Starting with the 18W USB-C charger, the technical details are:
- Normal Charging:
- 15 watts
- 5 volts
- 3 amps
- Fast Charging:
- 18 watts
- 9 volts
- 2 amps
And for the latest charger sold by Apple, the 20W USB-C charger, the technical details are:
- Normal Charging:
- 15 watts
- 5 volts
- 3 amps
- Fast Charging:
- 20 watts
- 9 volts
- 2.2 amps
To determine if old chargers can be used, I do not consider fast charging because it comes with the new iPhone chargers.
So, the interesting part here is that new iPhones can all receive 5 volts and 3 amps, 15 watts.
What does it mean exactly? Let’s find out.
Can you use an old charger with a new iPhone?
Yes, you can. In electricity, the important value is the voltage, as far as the device can accept the voltage deliver by the charger, you are good to go. The iPhone will accept the power and start to charge.
But the issue here is that the current is much lower compared to new chargers. 3 amps for new chargers versus 1 amp for old ones. 15 watts versus only 5 watts. If you can use an old charger on the new iPhones, it will take much more time to complete a full charge.
I’ve made some tests, while 1 hour is enough to charge my iPhone 13 with fast charging, it took me more than 3 hours to do it with an old 5 watts charger. It can help if this is the only charger you have with you, but I would definitely recommend buying a better iPhone charger.
I've also tested if you can charge an iPad with an iPhone charger.
Does charging a new iPhone with an old charger damage the battery?
If charging a new iPhone with an old charger is taking much more time than a new charger, it won’t hurt your iPhone. No damage will be done to your battery, but it’s not better for your battery health to use an old charger either.
I’ve made tests and comparisons to determine if one is better than the other. For 2 weeks, I’ve used my regular new charger as usual, but I’ve noted information about my battery's real health and cycle using the shortcut I’ve made and did the same thing with an old charger.
My iPhone battery capacity did not decrease more with one charger particularly, but as it was quite painful to use the old charger, I will keep the new one!
Unless your iPhone charger is not overheating, there is no risk for your iPhone.
Author
Maxime Levesque is a technical engineer with more than 5 years of professional experience. He is an expert in computer and phones, mostly on Apple products. Maxime is also the founder of TechBrowser.
Post your comment