Understanding mAh

In this episode - Understanding Milliamp Hours (mAh) . . .

Adapted article from the How-To-Geek Newsletter by Kris Wouk.

When shopping for backup power (portable charger) for your phone, you're sure to encounter the term milliamp hours or the abbreviation mAh. Not sure what this means, let's examine it.

What Are Milliamp Hours?

Milliamp hours (mAh) is a unit that measures power over time.

A milliamp is a measure of electric current, precisely one-thousandth of an amp. Amps and milliamps measure the strength of the electric current. Add hours to this, and you get a measure of how long this current can flow at that strength.

Let's use a battery as an example. If your battery can maintain a current output of one milliamp for one hour, you would call it a one mAh battery.

You will see mAh used in many electronic devices with a battery, from phones, and watches, to Bluetooth devices. These devices range from hundreds of milliamp hours into the thousands in terms of capacity, but they're all measured the same way. One thing to note here is that milliamp-hours are only a measure of capacity. They don't dictate how fast your backup battery will charge a device.

Device Capacity -

The average smartphone has a battery capacity ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 mAh. But as phones have advanced, demand for batteries has increased, thus diminishing battery life overall. This means portable chargers are more popular than ever. To be of any practical use, you'll want a compact charger that has at least as much battery capacity as whatever you'd like to charge. After all, an older charger with a 2,000 mAh capacity doesn't do much for an iPhone 13 with a 3,227 mAh battery.

A charger with roughly the same capacity as your phone or tablet is better than nothing, but bigger is almost always better. Even if you don't use the maximum capacity of your charger, it's often better to have the extra power and not need it than find yourself without it.

For example, if you need to charge your smartphone while wilderness camping, you'll want a higher-capacity charger since you will have no opportunity to recharge. Look for a battery of about 20,000 mAh, especially if you're planning more extended trips.

Another option is to harness the power of the Sun - Solar power banks are starting to come down in size and price.

Here's a mountaineering tip: if you're like me, you use your smartphone as a camera, take videos, document ideas in Notes, listen to audiobooks, music, and so much more. Place your phone in airplane mode, especially when you know there is no cell signal. This will extend your battery.

More Power!

Charger capacity continues to increase as our devices' batteries get larger. That brings up the question, is it possible to have a charger with too much capacity for the devices you are charging?

While there are some downsides to larger capacity chargers, there aren't many, and none of them are dangerous. A charger with many more milliamp hours of capacity than you require won't damage your device.

The main downside of a charger with more capacity than you need is size. More capacity means larger batteries, which sometimes require more space for cooling. This can add additional bulk and steal valuable backpack space, but clever packing can solve this problem.

The other downside to a battery with a larger capacity is that it will take longer to recharge.

The bottom line is this; determine your phone's battery capacity and adjust accordingly. So, let's hit the trails this summer fully charged!

If you have a suggestion for a future podcast, email me at pball@sbcglobal.net or click the link https://anchor.fm/patrick-ball/message and leave us a voice message.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

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