iPad mini plug overheating

[Bradley Whelan]

Hi, the plug/charger is overheating and is very hot to touch. Is this normal. iPad mini 1 with a 5w adapter.

 

[scifan57]

Hi, the plug/charger is overheating and is very hot to touch. Is this normal. iPad mini 1 with a 5w adapter.

It's normal for the charger to warm up while it's charging the iPad. It's not normal, however, for it to become so hot that it's uncomfortable to hold. If you can, try the charger in different outlets and try a different charger as well. If only the original charger overheats, especially if it does so no matter what outlet it's plugged into, it may very well have a short or internal defect. You should have it checked out at the Genius Bar at the nearest Apple Store if possible. If the warranty hasn't expired and the charger proves to be defective it will be replaced free of charge.

 

[Planet iPad]

Hi, the plug/charger is overheating and is very hot to touch. Is this normal. iPad mini 1 with a 5w adapter.

It's not the wattage thats important, it's the amps. If you are using a 1 amp charger (typical for iPhones) then that is NOT the correct charger to use, and you will burn it out over time. Only use 2.1 amp chargers, and only use cables from credible manufactures, because there is a computer chip at the one end of the cable, and the cheaper cables do NOT include it. That's why many people have problems with their iPads, they use crappy cables with them from discount stores.

 

[twerppoet]

Since USB chargers, even Apple's chargers, are always approximately 5 volts, the wattage is a perfectly acceptable indication of the charger's capacity. The 5W (5V at 1A) charger is what iPad Mini's come with. It is the full sized iPad (up to the 3rd generation) that came with 2A 5V (10W) chargers.

Besides, wattage is how Apple lists their charger capacities, and what they print on the power supply itself. At least in the larger, more readable text.

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202105

(My iPad Air has a 12W charger, which contradicts this list. I believe this is because they continued selling the larger iPad 4 charger with the new iPad Air's for a short time before switching back to 10W)

I can't find a similar list for iPhone chargers. All I have is my iPhone 6 Plus unit. Unlike the iPad chargers It does not list the wattage, but only the output voltage and amperage (5V at 1A), which makes it a 5W charger as well. I find this doubly surprising, not only because I wouldn't think the phone needed as much current, but because the charger's form factor is so much smaller. That suggests that even though it might supply the current, it might not dissipate the heat as well as the larger, physically, charger.

Anyway, I'm reasonably sure the OP was talking about the power supply that came with their iPad; but since they have not been back since the say the post was made we'll probably never know for sure.