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MHL stands for Mobile High-Definition Link. It is an industry standard for Android smartphones that can be connected to display devices such as TVs, monitors, and projectors. Devices built with ports that are MHL-ready work a bit differently than the “standard” version of those same ports, enabling extra features and functionality.

How does MHL Work?

Most handheld electronics are built with some sort of USB port. This can be Micro USB 2.0, Micro USB 3.0, or USB-C depending on the device and its age. Most of the time, people use these ports to just recharge their phones/tablets or sometimes to move pictures, videos, and other data between the phone/tablet and a computer. The issue old phones ran into here was that USB ports are designed to transmit data, not audio/video. At the same time, the USB port was the best option for getting photos and videos stored on a phone onto bigger screens.

MHL was the solution developed to circumvent this problem. Created in a joint project by Nokia, Samsung, Sony, Tos

The modern mobile phone is a pocket-sized electronic more powerful than the machines used to put astronauts on the moon. Among their many other features, these compact computers are great for streaming music, movies, and TV shows. But sometimes you want to put those streaming services on the big screen. Exactly how you can go about doing that will depend on what type of phone you have.

*Note: These tips also work for other handheld devices like tablets.

Android

Any television from the last 10 years likely has HDMI ports you can use to connect your phone. Most phones out there are built with a Micro USB port, which can be used with a Micro USB to HDMI adapter. In a nutshell, this adapter will take the Micro USB port and change it into an HDMI port. You will also need a regular HDMI cable to go with it if you do not already have a spare lying around somewhere.

Micro USB to HDMI adapters are typically rated for MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), a specific type of HDMI designed to work with smartphones, tablets, and similar devices. For an MHL adapter to work, your device must be MHL compatible. A full list of MHL compatible devices can be seen

In any scenario, having to deal with a dead cell phone is a pain. No one likes to realize their alarm did not go off because their phone died in the middle of the night. Or that they are totally lost when the phone’s GPS suddenly changes to a black screen.

With how important cell phones have become to everyday life, you would think that grabbing a charging cable would be simple. However, there are a number of options available depending on what type of phone you have. Even when looking at the same type of charger, different versions can be available.

Phone Charger Ratings

Chargers can have different ratings that are based on three factors: power (watts), current (amps), and voltage (volts). Amps are the key factor to look at here. Larger devices with bigger batteries, such as a tablet vs. a phone, hold more power and can take longer to charge. Phone chargers are made with different ratings depending on what device they are designed to go with. For example, this car charger has three USB ports on it. The first two ports have 1.0A (amps) while the last port has 2.1A. The 2.1A port has higher amperage and can charge big devices like tablets faster while the 1.0A ports are better for smaller devices like cell phones.

Some devices will only draw a certain amount of power from any charger to avoid damaging themselves. For example, iPhones will never charge with more than 1.0A. On the flipside of that, if you used a 1.0A charger with something like a tablet it would charge slower than if you used a 2.1A charger.

There are some rumors that claim charging a phone too fast can reduce the maximum b