Can cheap phone chargers harm battery in the long run?

[mistersink]

I've been using a car cigarette lighter charger on my phone fairly regularly. It was the cheapest dual usb charger i could find so I'm a little worried that it might not be providing the correct amperage/voltage, and could harm my battery over time. I'm also usually splitting the cigarette lighter to my GPS at the same time if that matters. Anyone know Anything about this? I have Droid RAZR and the charger that came with it is 5.1V, 750mA. I think my car charger is ~1.2mA (I'm assuming because of the two usb inputs). If you think I should stop using this charger, can anyone recommend one?
Thanks.

 

[LoudRam]

Yes, they can harm the battery and maybe the phone over the long term. How much, we can't be sure. The issue usually isn't the amount of voltage but the quality of the power. Cheaper chargers tend to put out a less regulated charge, meaning the power isn't as pure or clean. That happens because the components used by these off brand manufacturers are a lower quality. The amperage rating is just how much power the charger can put out. If the mA rating of the charger is lower than the stock one it will take longer for the phone to charge.

Sent from my HTC Rezound using Droid Forums

 

[mistersink]

So, having a charger with double the amperage won't hurt it, it will just charge faster?

How would a different voltage affect it?

thanks.

 

[LoudRam]

I would keep the amperage in the same range as the oem charger. If you charge it too fast that isn't good either. Charging with a different voltage can fry your phone.

 

[mistersink]

got any recomendations for wall and car chargers, and cables to go with them? i found these on amazon and they look like they're motorola OEM products, but you never can tell until you get it. Are there any companies that have higher quality materials/build for a reasonable price?

Amazon.com: OEM Motorola ECOMOTO Micro USB Data Cable for Motorola Droid RARZ, RAZR Maxx, Droid 3, Droid 4, Photon 4G, Droid Bionic, Atrix 4G, Atrix 2, and Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2 & 10.1 - Bulk Packaging: Cell Phones & Accessories

Amazon.com: OEM Motorola SPN5689A Dual Port Universal Wall Charger for Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX XT916 / XT913, Admiral / PAX XT603, Atrix 2, DROID RAZR XT912 /HD, Photon 4G, Triumph WX435, Theory WX430, Titanium i1x, i412, XPRT, Droid X2, Clutch + i4

Amazon.com: Motorola P617 Rapid Dual USB Car Charger with Micro USB Data Cable - Bulk Packaging - Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[LoudRam]

I stick with oem or at work I have my wife's old BB charger. Typically you get what you pay for but I don't know any specific brands to get. Maybe someone else can chime in at this point.

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