Can You Use A Phone Charger To Charge A PS5 Controller?

One awesome feature of having a DualSense PlayStation 5 controller is that it's pretty flexible when it comes to charging. You can charge it while your console is active, on a charging station, or even while it's plugged into an outlet. This is all thanks to the controller's handy USB-C port, which means it supports a wide range of connection options.

So the question becomes, can you use your phone charger to charge your DualSense controller? The simple answer is yes, but be wary that the experience will depend on the quality of the cable and the equipped power adapter. It's also similar to charging your laptop with your phone charger: you can technically do it, but your mileage may vary, and will depend on the chosen charging cable/power adapter combo.

If you don't want to choose wrong, the general rule of thumb for picking the right USB-C cable and power adapter is to match or deliver a bit more charge than your DualSense controller can handle at 5V. You can find the exact wattage required by turning the physical controller around to read the label: take the voltage (5V) and multiply it by the current (1500 mA, which equates to 1.5A). Then match that number with your phone charger, which should give you 7.5W.

Unless you already have a phone charger on hand that delivers at least 7.5W at 5V, you might need to go shopping. You'll want to consider factors like smart charging. Smart charging automatically negotiates the power your controller needs to charge safely; those without this capability could harm your battery, so avoid sketchy, third-party options that only have one voltage output (since it may not give the advertised voltage and could actually spike) or don't have the USB-IF certified logo. USB-C Power Delivery is usually a safe bet, and you can get one similar to a strong Apple 20W USB-C charger from reputable companies like Anker, UGreen, and Belkin that don't break the bank.

The next check you'll want to perform is calculating the wattage. You don't necessarily want charging to be slow, since it'll just put you in a habit of doing a "set and forget" while plugged in — and that's not always a great practice if you care about your PlayStation 5 controller's general health, since you'll want to monitor the temperature to avoid battery degradation.

With the right charger, you can make the DualSense controller charge faster when plugged into an outlet rather than the PlayStation 5. Typically, these controllers need around 7.5W for safe charging, but can go up to 15W. Your console can deliver exactly 7.5W to the controller, but a USB-C Power Delivery wallcharger rated at 20W can make it go slightly faster. Smartphones usually require around 15-45W, so any good charger should be able to match wattage properly, which should be more than enough for your controller. A standard smartphone charger can deliver 18-45W, though some basic ones may only deliver 5W (that's not enough).