Charger for Galaxy S9plus - Why does my old charger not fit?
March 1, 2023 11:19 AM Subscribe
OK, so I am not really all that adept when it comes to phones and chargers. If I had my own way, I'd bypass the whole phenomenon, but so I have come to own a Galaxy S9plus and old charger for even later model does not fit. Other than a wireless charger, what has changed, why does the old charger no longer fit the slot?
I should have gone with an iPhone, at least would have found a simple solution to this. Thanks for your help with this quandary.
I should have gone with an iPhone, at least would have found a simple solution to this. Thanks for your help with this quandary.
Best answer: For Android, there are two charger plugs in circulation. They are USB-C, which has oval sides, and can be inserted upside down (like Apple's Lightning); and MicroUSB, which is a trapezoid with a longer bottom than top, and cannot be inserted upside down.
You don't need to have the exact charger that came with the phone to charge it. These plugs are standardized; every MicroUSB charger will probably charge a phone with MicroUSB; every USB-C charger will probably charge a phone with USB-C.
If you have a Galaxy S9+, it should have a USB-C plug on the bottom. If it does not, then you probably don't have a Galaxy S9+. Samsung changed to USB-C starting with the S8, the previous generation. If you have a charger from an older phone, it probably has MicroUSB which is not compatible.
posted by meowzilla at 1:43 PM on March 1, 2023
You don't need to have the exact charger that came with the phone to charge it. These plugs are standardized; every MicroUSB charger will probably charge a phone with MicroUSB; every USB-C charger will probably charge a phone with USB-C.
If you have a Galaxy S9+, it should have a USB-C plug on the bottom. If it does not, then you probably don't have a Galaxy S9+. Samsung changed to USB-C starting with the S8, the previous generation. If you have a charger from an older phone, it probably has MicroUSB which is not compatible.
posted by meowzilla at 1:43 PM on March 1, 2023
Best answer: For what it's worth, I have a Samsung Galaxy S9+ and have been using it with this Anker Charger I bought on Amazon a few years ago. It currently shows as $13.99. Of course you have to have the right cable. I just use a rectangular USB to oval USB-C cable.
posted by forthright at 4:47 PM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by forthright at 4:47 PM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Without knowing exactly what the old charger was for, it's impossible to say for sure, but most likely it was for a phone that used MicroUSB. Most newish phones (including the Galaxy S9+) use USB-C chargers and the two are not interchangeable. That said, you can get USB-C chargers and cables for cheap and you aren't tied to any specific manufacturer. If you already have a USB charger with standard full-sized USB ports you want to use, something like this USB-A to C cable will allow you to use it. The Anker charger forthright mentioned above (or other similar fast chargers that can supply 2.4 amps) might be able to charge it a bit faster though.
Hopefully in a few years most devices will be using USB-C instead (including iPhones, now that the EU is forcing them to use it), but there's unfortunately an awkward transition period to deal with at the moment.
posted by Aleyn at 6:02 PM on March 1, 2023
Hopefully in a few years most devices will be using USB-C instead (including iPhones, now that the EU is forcing them to use it), but there's unfortunately an awkward transition period to deal with at the moment.
posted by Aleyn at 6:02 PM on March 1, 2023
Best answer: Galaxy S9+ was my last phone, and a good phone it was. It uses USB-C, as people are saying; it has a connector that's symmetric and can be rotated 180-degrees and it'll still work.
S9+ also has, standard, the ability to charge via Wireless charging, also called Qi-charging. Essentially you get a charging pad that's plugged in, and you need only rest your phone on it. There's a small learning curve as you figure out where to rest the phone so it starts charging, but since the phone makes a little noise when charging begins, and IIRC turns the screen on, it'll let you know when you've got it right.
Qi-charging is less efficient than plug-in, generally, but great for overnight charging. Plug-in is best when using a so-called Fast-charger, something with, say, 15W of power or higher.
posted by Sunburnt at 6:22 PM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
S9+ also has, standard, the ability to charge via Wireless charging, also called Qi-charging. Essentially you get a charging pad that's plugged in, and you need only rest your phone on it. There's a small learning curve as you figure out where to rest the phone so it starts charging, but since the phone makes a little noise when charging begins, and IIRC turns the screen on, it'll let you know when you've got it right.
Qi-charging is less efficient than plug-in, generally, but great for overnight charging. Plug-in is best when using a so-called Fast-charger, something with, say, 15W of power or higher.
posted by Sunburnt at 6:22 PM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I love this site. Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply and explain this to me. <3
posted by watercarrier at 8:25 PM on March 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by watercarrier at 8:25 PM on March 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Maybe the person who got the phone to you inadvertently gave you the wrong charger?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:25 AM on March 1, 2023 [1 favorite]