Tablet Charging Best Practices for Longer Battery Life

Charging your tablet might seem simple, but small mistakes could be shaving years off your battery life.

In this article, we’ll give you a rundown of charging best practices to extend your battery life and the do’s and don’ts of fast charging and multi-device charging.

Tablet Charging – The Basics

Charging a tablet seems pretty straightforward… plug it in, wait for the battery to fill up, and you’re good to go. 

But there’s more to it than meets the eye. 

A little knowledge about the technical aspects of charging can go a long way toward protecting your tablet’s battery and improving its lifespan.

Here are the essentials. 

• Your charger’s power is measured in watts, which are calculated by multiplying volts (the force of the electric current) by amps (the flow of the current). 

• Tablets often require higher wattage chargers than mobile phones, typically between 15W and 45W, to ensure efficient charging. 

• USB Power Delivery (PD) is the standard that enables tablets to handle these higher power levels safely, while Programmable Power Supply (PPS) helps regulate voltage and current dynamically to protect your battery. 

Understanding these basics can help you choose the right charger and avoid the pitfalls of overheating, slow charging, or battery stress. We’ll go into more detail on these topics in just a moment.

Tablet Charging – Good Habits

1. Avoid Full Charge Cycles

If you’re old enough to remember nickel-cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, like the ones found in flip phones, you might remember being advised to let them fully discharge to 0%, then fully recharge to 100%. 

Times have changed. With modern lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, going from 0% to 100% puts stress and strain on the battery. 

Think of it like stretching a rubber band to its outer limits. If you do it over and over, it becomes less elastic. Same applies to a battery, charging it fully, draining it, then charging again stresses it and wears it out more quickly.

Ideally you should charge a tablet’s Li-ion battery to somewhere between 30% and 80%. Many modern devices slow down or stop charging as it reaches 100%, but may still cycle little bursts of energy to keep it full. Doing so puts the battery under higher voltage stress for longer and damages it. To avoid this, make sure you set the charging limit to 80%, as described here.

2. Limit Heat Exposure

Heat wears out batteries more quickly, so avoid charging in a hot spot and avoid installing a Bouncepad tablet stand in direct sunlight. Over time, heat stresses your tablet’s battery, which means it loses capacity faster.

3. Use Fast Charging Sparingly 

Fast charging gives your tablet a little boost when it needs it. 

However, it’s best not to rely on it too much, as it can wear down the battery faster. Save it for emergencies, such as quickly charging up a low battery before a meeting.

With Apple iPads, there is no option to turn off fast charging, but you can use a power adapter that’s less than 18W instead.

Fast charging works by pushing more power into the battery. All that extra power generates more heat. It’s best used when the battery is below 50%. When it gets closer to 80%, you lose the benefits as the device overheats. Therefore, be sure to use it sparingly and let the battery cool down afterwards.

For continuous charging, opt for a slower charger as it’s gentler and better for battery life over the long run.

4. Use The Correct Cable Lengths

The longer the cable, the more resistance there is and more energy is lost as heat, which slows down charging. This is especially true if the cable isn’t high quality. It isn’t usually much of a problem until you reach cable lengths of 1.8 metres (6 feet) or longer.

For most setups, something around 3 to 6 feet is perfect. It gives you enough flexibility without sacrificing speed. If you need a longer cable, make sure it’s a good-quality one with an e-marker chip, especially if you’re using a fast charger (more on that in a moment).

USB-C Charging for Tablets

In an effort to reduce “e-waste”, since December 2024 all devices manufactured for use in the EU must have a USB Type-C port for charging. Apple got ahead of the curve and traded the Lightning connector charging ports for USB-C on all new devices from 2023. 

In other words, pretty much all tablet devices now use USB-C charging, which has a number of benefits.

• Universal Compatibility Across Devices: You can use one cable for your tablet, phone, and even some laptops.

• Faster Charging: USB Power Delivery (PD) handles more power than old micro-USB chargers. Depending on your tablet, it can deliver up to 30 or 45 watts. Check your tablet’s spec. If it supports 30W you’ll need a USB PD charger capable of that.

• Thinner Devices: USB-C sockets are compact, which reduces the thickness of your tablet.

How Fast Charging Works

Fast chargers either increase the voltage or the amperage—or sometimes both—to send more energy to your device faster. The key is USB Power Delivery, or PD. That’s the standard most modern tablets use, and it’s designed to safely handle higher power levels.

The extra power won’t damage your tablet, as long as you use the right accessories. That’s where PPS comes in—Programmable Power Supply. It adjusts the voltage and current in tiny steps so your battery gets just what it needs without overheating or overloading.

First check your tablet’s specs. For example, something like an iPad Pro usually supports 30W to 45W charging. Get a charger that matches or slightly exceeds that wattage. Just avoid going too low—a 15W charger might work, but it’ll be super slow.

For fast charging, avoid “knock-off” cables and look for ones with an “e-marker chip”. It’s a little chip inside the cable that tells the charger how much power it can safely handle. If you’re using a high-wattage charger, you need a cable that’s up to the task, otherwise it could overheat or charge slowly. If you’re unsure, stick with reliable brands like Bouncepad, Anker or Belkin.

Multi-Device Charging

A multi-port USB-C charger can save a lot of hassle, allowing you to charge multiple devices from one socket. This makes it ideal for powering multiple tablet self-service kiosks in a restaurant or store, for example.

You should choose a charger that delivers enough power by checking the spec. For example, your phone might only need 20W, but your tablet could need 30W or more, and your laptop might need 60W or higher. Add those up, and that’s how much total wattage you’ll need from the charger.

Bear in mind that the charger splits its power across the ports, and some prioritize certain devices. For instance, if you’ve got a 65W charger and plug in your laptop and phone, it might give 45W to the laptop and 20W to the phone, depending on how it’s designed.

Most chargers will label the ports or list how the power is distributed in the specs. If you’re charging a laptop, make sure it’s on the port that provides the most wattage.

Gallium Nitride (GaN) chargers are also useful. They use gallium nitride instead of silicon, which makes them smaller and more efficient. Even though they’re compact, they handle high power, which makes them perfect for travel or keeping things tidy at your desk.

For instance, a 100W GaN charger might be small, but handles charging your laptop, tablet, and phone all at once. 

PoE and Battery Packs

Power over Ethernet (PoE) adapters and portable battery packs are ideal solutions for ensuring your tablet stays powered wherever you are.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) Adapters

PoE adapters combine data and power in a single Ethernet cable, making them perfect for setups like kiosks, conference rooms, or digital signage. They’re especially useful when traditional power outlets are out of reach.

Ensure your PoE adapter supports the appropriate wattage for your tablet. For example, some tablets require 15W or more, so check compatibility before purchasing.

Read more about PoE here!

Portable Battery Packs

For mobile setups, portable battery packs let you charge your tablet without needing an outlet.

Look for a battery pack with sufficient capacity (measured in mAh) to fully charge your tablet at least once. High-capacity packs with USB-C PD ports are ideal for modern tablets.

Choose A Tablet Stand with Smart Cable Management

Bouncepad’s tablet stands integrate cable management systems that keep cords neatly tucked away, preventing clutter, reducing wear and tear, and ensuring your chargers and tablets perform optimally.

Our Original range of tablet stands keeps all the cables hidden within the framework of the stand.

Our Core range offers a smart cable grip to keep the charger in place without taking away from the sleek look of the tablet.