I’ve seen many messages here on the Community and on Discord where there’s some confusion about charging your devices, chargers in general and monitoring battery health. In addition to @RohitPakalapati his post: USB PD and PPS – What You Need to Know About Fast Charging I decided to write a follow-up.
In this discussion, we’ll take a closer look at two popular options: battery apps and hardware monitoring devices. I’ll explore the pros and cons of each, and help you figure out which one is the best fit for your needs.
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Battery Apps
Battery apps are a great way to get a sense of your phone’s battery health without having to deal with any extra hardware. These apps are installed directly on your phone and can provide you with a wealth of information about your battery’s performance. Some of the key features you can expect from a battery app are:
Battery health metrics: Apps like AccuBattery, aBattery or Battery Guru can give you an idea of your battery’s overall health, including its capacity, charge cycles, and degradation over time. I do want to emphasize that these values are just estimates.
Charging details: You can track your phone’s charging speed, current, and time to full charge.
Usage stats: These apps can also help you identify which apps are using the most power, so you can make adjustments to optimize your battery life.
I’d like to dive in a little deeper in to ‘Charging details’, so if you’re interested in this please see the chapter below! ⬇️
The advantages of using a battery app are clear: Just download and install the app, and you’re good to go. The apps provide easy-to-understand graphs and visual insights and most of these apps are free which is nice. However, there are some limitations to consider:
Accuracy: Battery apps rely on estimates based on your phone’s internal sensors and software APIs, which may not always be precise.
Limited hardware access: These apps can’t directly measure current, voltage, or power fluctuations.
Dependent on software support: The accuracy of the app can vary depending on your device and Android version.
Battery Apps are best for casual users
If you’re just looking for a general idea of your phone’s battery health and don’t need precise measurements, a battery app is a great option.
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Hardware Monitoring Devices
On the other hand, hardware monitoring devices are designed for those who need more precise measurements and detailed diagnostics. These devices can measure power directly from the charging source, providing a more accurate picture of your phone’s battery health. Some of the key features of hardware monitoring devices include:
Precise measurements: Devices like USB-C power meters can measure real-time voltage, current, and power output.
Compatibility checks: You can verify if your charger or cable supports standards like USB PD or PPS. Some of these devices can provide info on all the supported protocols.
Battery diagnostics: These devices can test battery efficiency, capacity, and degradation with high accuracy.
The advantages of using a hardware monitoring device compared to an app are significant. One of the main benefits is the high accuracy it provides, as physical measurements eliminate the need for estimates. This is particularly useful for those who require precise data. Additionally, hardware monitoring devices offer versatility, allowing you to test multiple devices, chargers, and cables, which can be a major advantage for those who need to troubleshoot or verify compatibility. Perhaps most importantly, these devices provide detailed insights, making them ideal troubleshooting tools for charging issues or verifying manufacturer claims. However, there are some limitations to consider:
Complexity: You’ll need to have a basic understanding of electrical parameters to interpret the data.
Cost: Quality devices can be more expensive than battery apps.
Additional hardware needed: You’ll need to carry the device with you, which may not be as convenient as using an app.
Hardware Monitoring Devices are best for Tech-Savvy users
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Charging Details: My own tests
As already mentioned, I’d like to go into a bit more details of my own experiences and to start let’s go back to the Apps. I tried to look for information how does apps operate. AccuBattery provides more info where it gets its data from in this page ( ⬅️ I recommend reading it):
[…]This conversion is done in the phone’s power management IC or battery controller, and we measure the data after this conversion. […]
The information aBattery queries mainly comes from the battery-health related APIs introduced in Android 14.
I was unable to find these details for Battery Guru so for this reason I left it out although, if I had to make an assumption is probably comparable with AccuBattery.
But it’s already clear that AccuBattery and aBattery are getting their information from different locations, which is definitely something to keep in mind while showing the next results. Time to connect a charger to my Phone(2) and look at some values! As a charger I just took a generic Samsung 25W Travel Adapter (EP-TA800NBEGEU / PD 3.0 PPS max. 25W)
| Tool/App | Voltage | Amperage | Power |
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| aBattery | 9.3 | 3.0 | 27.9W |
| AccuBattery | 4.1 | 5.6 | 23.2W |
| Hardware Monitor | 8.6 | 3.0 | 26.3W |
For clarification: text in white is aBattery, green is AccuBattery and orange is my hardware monitor. Although it’s close, the results are definitely different! Especially when we look at AccuBattery but the reason for this is already quoted above and due to conversions. It’s also good to mention that the hardware monitor is connected on the phone’s side and not on the charger side, which means the cable obviously causes a loss as well. If I connect it on the charger’s side we would see different values.
This test is anything but scientific, but the goal of this post was showing you the differences between these options.
For now this is it, but I do want to add some new results while using Nothing’s own 45W charger and a uGreen Nexode X 100W charger on both my Phone(2) and (2a). Feel free to post any questions and I will try to answer them.
