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Help Why do portable chargers not work with my Galaxy S3?

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backupguy12

Newbie
So, my phone has a pretty bad battery life so I went to get a portable charger. The first one I got didn't work so I returned it. I got another but im having the same problem. But I plugged it into my sisters phone and it charged fine. What's happening?
 
backupguy12 said:
So, my phone has a pretty bad battery life so I went to get a portable charger. The first one I got didn't work so I returned it. I got another but im having the same problem. But I plugged it into my sisters phone and it charged fine. What's happening?
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Hi, it's possible your USB port is damaged in some way, does your phone charge with the original Samsung charger and lead? Phil
 
philayl said:
Hi, it's possible your USB port is damaged in some way, does your phone charge with the original Samsung charger and lead? Phil
Click to expand...
My phone charges with the original Samsung charger and lead. I was thinking about the port, but I was thinking how much of a nuisance to fix it.
 
Can you use the Samsung USB cable with the portable charger? Some have had issues with non-OEM cables.

Also, what is the age and condition of your phone's battery? It's possible that your battery is going bad. Try swapping your sister's battery into your phone and see if the charger works.
 
svensett said:
Can you use the Samsung USB cable with the portable charger? Some have had issues with non-OEM cables.

Also, what is the age and condition of your phone's battery? It's possible that your battery is going bad. Try swapping your sister's battery into your phone and see if the charger works.
Click to expand...

I tried using the Samsung cable and it still didn't work. I don't know how old the battery is because I got it used. Also, my sisters phone has a different battery.
 
Ah, I assumed she had the same phone.

When you plug your phone in to the charger, does it do anything? Does a USB symbol show up on the notification bar?
 
I have the same issues with my S3 charging cords. I bought mine second hand and it did not come with a cord. I have a dozen micro-USB cords and only 2 of them work to charge the S3. I have noticed that the two that do work are slightly longer (the metal part that slides into the phone). It is my opinion, based on countless tries, that most non-OEM cords are not making the full power connection because they are slightly too short to make contact. Sometimes if I really push on them, or wiggle/press them in the right direction I can get it to say "charging," but it never lasts.

It might be worth the money to buy an OEM cord. Hope this helps.
 
What is the "output amperage (amp)" on the portable charger? If it doesn't have amp rating, what is the watt rating? I assume your sister has a different phone. For S3, you need 1amp or 5w (5v). Original USB charger spec from way back requires only 500ma (aka .5 amp). Many manufacturers still use this out dated spec. You sister's phone may only need 500ma; hence it work. Also, just because some charger says 1000 ma, it may not be, especially you buy those off brand knock off products which you only get 700ma-800ma.
 
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