[3ldi5]

After reading many praises all over the web about this charger, I decided to order one from Amazon for myself.
The main reason being that hillarious charging time of sometimes more than three hours, with standard Z10 charger. Also, I was quite irritated with micro usb jack on original cable I got with my Z10, which was extremely tight and uncomfortable to unplug, every time scaring myself that I will tear-out the complete micro usb socket from my phone.
So about the charger itself...

As you know this was originally a Playbook charger but is now selling under "Premium/Portable BB Charger" name. It is of amazing build quality, and what is more important, it charges the Z10 in about hour and half to 100%. Also, the micro usb jack itself is much much easier to plug/unplug, and it has that "click" feel when you plug it into socket, which is absolutely non-existent on Z10 cable. I can honestly suggest this charger to everybody, and you can find it on web for what I consider a bargain price, about 8 pounds.

[Carl Estes]

Another option is the Rapid Travel charger:

Amazon.com: Blackberry Rapid Travel Charger for Playbook - Retail Packaging - Black: Computers & Accessories
Connects magnetically to the three charging pins next to the Micro USB port (not the HDMI port), and it "breaks away" if you walk thru the charging cable, and it will "connect" itself if you just get it close.
10/14bucks.

c

[Banco]

Another option is the Rapid Travel charger:

Amazon.com: Blackberry Rapid Travel Charger for Playbook - Retail Packaging - Black: Computers & Accessories
Connects magnetically to the three charging pins next to the Micro USB port (not the HDMI port), and it "breaks away" if you walk thru the charging cable, and it will "connect" itself if you just get it close.
10/14bucks.

c

He's using it for his Z10 mate. ;-)

Posted via CB10

[wojt7]

It's good charger and I don't have any regrets for buying it. Costing 4 pounds new is just unbelievable.

However as usual on the Internet boards you never get full picture until you get one for yourself.

So whoever is considering getting one take following facts into account:

1. It only cuts the time needed for full charge from 0 to 100% by about half an hour when compared to stock 0.8A charger. It takes about 2.20h as compared to 2.50h with stock (charging overnight)
2. It gives you travel plugs for different countries but is substantially larger and heavier than stock.
3. You are loosing USB cable as the other end on the charger is not removable, so if you need to hook your phone up to PC or tablet you need to bring additional cable.

Still bargain but not as good as I thought.

[3ldi5]

1. Not really. In my case, the stock Z10 charger takes about 3 to 3:20 hours to charge from 5% to 100%. This charger takes about 1:40 to 2 hours max.
2. Yes, it gives you different power plugs for different power sockets, which is very useful addition in my book.
3. Well, before you bought it, you alreadu knew this, I guess? How could it be a minus then? You are buying an item that is advertised as charger, not as usb charger, or charger plus data cable. I think it does excellent job in what it is advertised for, nothing less or more. About weight, I think there's a good reason why it weights that much, considering its portability nature.

To the people willing to buy this, there is nice and detailed info about this product wherever you decide to buy it, so you will get familiar with all these things before you buy it. I can only repeat what I said in my first post, that this is an amazing charger, and it wiped away 2 headaches I got with stock Z10 charger.

[FF22]

Actually, the US (Canadian???) version does not come with changeable plugs. It comes with folding prongs.

Here's the link on Crackberry:

BlackBerry Premium Micro-USB 1.8A Charger | BlackBerry Chargers & Cables

[3ldi5]

This is not the same charger. Maybe the naming scheme is confusing a little bit, since the one you have is also branded "premium".
Here is the one I'm talking about:
BlackBerry Micro-USB Intl Travel Charger | BlackBerry Chargers & Cables
As you can see, here on CB it is branded as "travel charger", but everywhere else it is named premium BB charger. See the official BlackBerry store for example:
Premium International Charger - UK/EU/NA/AU Clip - Bundle

[FF22]

This is not the same charger. Maybe the naming scheme is confusing a little bit, since the one you have is also branded "premium".
Here is the one I'm talking about:
BlackBerry Micro-USB Intl Travel Charger | BlackBerry Chargers & Cables
As you can see, here on CB it is branded as "travel charger", but everywhere else it is named premium BB charger. See the official BlackBerry store for example:
Premium International Charger - UK/EU/NA/AU Clip - Bundle

I'm sure that the naming/identification is different. The one I posted above with the link is the exact model that came with my US Playbook. Actually, I've got three of them. A third came with my second Playbook. The second came free from BB as a mix-up when I tried getting them to replace/fix the Playbook's magnetic charger. They accidentally sent me the PB's regular charger, the one pictured above.

In any event, it also rapidly charges the z10 and the 9930 before that.

[wojt7]

1. Well I never doubted that it could take you more than 3 hrs to charge fully. Everybody's standby drain is different so that makes sense.
What I find overly optimistic from your post is the delta in time between both chargers.
Here is mine measured with BaSa. 40 minutes difference. That's twice less than what you get at 1h20mins. There is a difference but not that big as you suggest.
First pic is premium, next - stock charger

Attachment 293762
Attachment 293763

On point 2 and 3 - Nothing to argue about. Just a bit more detail from me that often gets overlooked. Could be helpful for prospective buyers. Higher weight, bulkier and no USB cable. Still good for travel but not perfect.

[3ldi5]

In any event, it also rapidly charges the z10 and the 9930 before that.

Yeah, the point remains, they're both charging phones very fast. The one I'm talking about is maybe not coming bundled with Playbook, but is advertised primarily as Playbook charger, with addition of 4 changable power plugs for travel purposes.
Like I said, it's not just about charging speeds, it's also about very comfortable micro usb plug, compared to original cable that came with Z10.

[assk]

So there are treats were people experienced battery issues. Like dead devices or battery failures with this playbook charger. A lot of people said and still say that the charger couldn't be the problem, so I've used it a couple of days.

After three days my phone went from 10 procent to a compleet shut down in 5 seconds. I fully recharged my z10 with the original charger and the problem was gone.

I don't want to say that the charger is bad, but I can say for sure that in my case the problem was caused by the playbook charger, so be careful.

Posted via CB10

[homer1475]

Used my PB charger since I got my z10(over a year now) and have never had adverse affects. I can also second the OP's post about taking half the time to charge. I've never actually measured it, but it takes roughly 3 hours from dead(0%) to 100% with the stock charger(which by the way is the same charger I got with every berry I've owned, which is a few of them if you look at my signature), and roughly an hour and a half with the "premium" PB charger, and the "premium" 1.8 amp car charger.

[wojt7]

Sorry but until you back it up the way I did I find it hard to believe. Simply no way you could charge empty battery in 1.30h.
The only explanation I can imagine is when your battery is in really wrong state and doesn't have full capacity anymore or has some calibration issues.

[3ldi5]

Sorry but until you back it up the way I did I find it hard to believe. Simply no way you could charge empty battery in 1.30h.
The only explanation I can imagine is when your battery is in really wrong state and doesn't have full capacity anymore or has some calibration issues.

Sorry, but my battery is in perfect shape.
Yes, I had to fix battery percentage reading twice, but now it's in perfect shape. I know it not just because it charges all the way up to 100% and turns off the phone at 0% (no matter stock charger or this one), but also because it last a full day - discharges at perfectly normal rate, with no sudden drains at all.
So maybe your battery is having some issues after all?
And I don't have BaSa installed, so I can't "back it up" the way you expect, nor I will install this app just to prove something to you.

Even if your claims about charging times are true, the point from my original post remains, so I'm not going to engage some pointless discussions here. Also, anyone having doubts about this charger efficiency, you can check Amazon product page for this charger, and read the experience people are having with it. Not just from BB users, but from any smartphone brand users in gerenal.

[wojt7]

Relax. We're only having a discussion. I wouldn't call it pointless. This couple of posts is probably more worthwhile than dozens of threads before it where people were claiming miraculous results with this charger without any data, only based on 'feelings'.

Based on feelings we have people excited about Chinese extended batteries that are stock in reality. We have people feeling 10HP gains after oil change when there is none. We have super fat reducing pills that have flour in it....etc...

I'm happy for you if this works the way you say. I have laid numbers in front here for
everybody to see. There is no arguing with cold data.

But hey remember. It's a great charger but not exactly 'all hail'. Would I buy it again knowing what I know now? Maybe. But the more detail we post here the better for all the members here when they go to look for a new charger.

[zephryn]

For those who are concerned about the higher amp chargers hurting the battery, electronics pull charge, it's not forced down their throat by the charger. If the PlayBook 1.8A charger forced the Z10 with the full wattage it would charge the 1800mah battery in only one hour. Since mine charges in about an hour and a half using my PlayBook charger, it seems the Z10 will only pull about 1.2A.

[CecilTsunami]

I've used my PlayBook charger on my Z10 since the day I got the Z10 in Feb of last year. Not a single battery issue.

I love how fast it charges compared to the charger that is intended for the Z10. I also experienced problems with the charger that came with my Z10. It doesn't seem like it really fits and then half the time I thought it was plugged in, it wasn't charging. PlayBook charger is a much better fit.

Posted via CB10

[wojt7]

For those who are concerned about the higher amp chargers hurting the battery, electronics pull charge, it's not forced down their throat by the charger. If the PlayBook 1.8A charger forced the Z10 with the full wattage it would charge the 1800mah battery in only one hour. Since mine charges in about an hour and a half using my PlayBook charger, it seems the Z10 will only pull about 1.2A.

What's your phone model number?
My charger is rated 2A. Are we talking about same charger?

[BobRubus]

Great and fast. Good value, must be left over from all the PlayBooks they never sold #mylaugh. Use mine at home where extra bulk not an issue. Would recommend for the faster charge time I have experienced, whatever the theoretical physicists say.
Good post.

Cheers,
Bob.

Posted via CB10

[zephryn]

What's your phone model number?
My charger is rated 2A. Are we talking about same charger?

Stl 3. I'm talking about the Canadian stock PlayBook charger that was shown before with the fold out prongs. It says it outputs at 1.8A right on the unit.

[New_Z10]

I use the playbook charger. It is fast! At least twice as fast, but you can get a 30% top up in 15 minutes, which is perfect for those last minute, iffy charge moments. I don't even know where my regular charger is!

Posted via CB10

[wojt7]

For those who are concerned about the higher amp chargers hurting the battery, electronics pull charge, it's not forced down their throat by the charger. If the PlayBook 1.8A charger forced the Z10 with the full wattage it would charge the 1800mah battery in only one hour. Since mine charges in about an hour and a half using my PlayBook charger, it seems the Z10 will only pull about 1.2A.

It would be true if it was constant 1.2A charge. Unfortunately it is not as charging electronics slows down considerably in the last 1/3 of the process.
I've tested it with stock charger, Nokia 1.3A charger and this premium charger. All behaving same way. Also tested it on spare battery I have and it's the same. Drop in power and slowdown of the whole charging process.
Pic below is from 49% to 100% charge. Took 68 minutes.

[zephryn]

It would be true if it was constant 1.2A charge. Unfortunately it is not as charging electronics slows down considerably in the last 1/3 of the process.
I've tested it with stock charger, Nokia 1.3A charger and this premium charger. All behaving same way. Also tested it on spare battery I have and it's the same. Drop in power and slowdown of the whole charging process.
Pic below is from 49% to 100% charge. Took 68 minutes.

Yep, you're totally right. I should have known because I notice the last 10% takes the longest to charge. Thanks for the correction.