The Meta Quest previously known as the Oculus Quest was rebranded by Meta in 2022. The Oculus Quest 2 was launched in 2020 and it is based on Android source code.
But with any device, having the right charger and charging practices is key to keeping it powered up. So what wattage charger does the Quest 2 require and how can you charge it properly?
This article will cover the ideal charger wattage for optimal Quest 2 charging, whether higher wattages cause issues, the charging time with standard adapters, and tips for replacing damaged charger components.
By the end, you should know the kind of chargers you should be using and what kind of chargers you should be avoiding.
Oculus Quest 2 Charger Wattage?
The Oculus Quest 2 comes with a 10-watt charger out of the box. These are the standard chargers which run at 5 volts and 2 amps.
You could use another charger too if you want to.
We recommend that you use a 10 watt charger that it came with but you can use other 10 watt chargers as well. Make sure they are of good quality.
This means if you use a charger with higher wattage, that won’t affect its charging speed. Mainly because the device doesn’t support faster charging than that.
So I recommend you use the charger that comes with the device. But if you have lost yours or have damaged it you can always use a USB charger with minimum requirements of 5 volts, 2 amperes, and 10 watts.
A charger with these specs will take 2 hours to fully charge your Oculus from 0%.
How Much Wattage Do I Need?
The recommended wattage is 10 watts but the minimum wattage you need to charge Oculus Quest 2 is 5 watts.
At this wattage, you will be just fine and ready to hook up your device to the charger. Anything above this minimum wattage of 5w will speed up your charging time.
But keep in mind that the circuitry of the device is designed for 10 watts max and increasing the wattage above 10w will affect the charging speed.
Just make sure to use a charger with a wattage between 5 watts and 10 watts. Anything below 5 watts won’t charge your device.
What Happens If I Use Higher Watts?
As previously discussed the recommended charger for your device is 10 watts. You could use a potent adapter to charge your device but it serves no purpose to your device.
There might be negative effects of using a higher-wattage adapter.
But if you use it always make sure to disconnect the charger just before the battery reaches 100%.
If you overcharge your device using an adapter of higher wattage, there is a chance of permanent damage to your battery.
To avoid such circumstances and increase the life of your device make sure you use the recommended 10-watt charger.
If a 10 watt charger is not available you can use any charger with wattage above 5 watts. Using a charger with lower wattage than 10w will increase charging time but it will charge the device.
Using a charger with a higher wattage than 10w will have no effect on charging speed but it might harm your battery and also affect the device’s performance.
Should I Use a Charger With a Higher Wattage?
We recommend only using 10W as this is what the Oculus can handle. Any more and you run into the risk of damaging the batter over a long period of time.
Using a charger with higher wattage than the recommended 10 watts might increase your charging speed, but it can cause irreplaceable damage to the Lithium component of the battery.
If your original battery is damaged your device might not work as it did before. Make sure you replace the battery with the original one that the manufacturer recommends.
You will be able to find the original batteries of Oculus on Craig’s list. You can also source the batteries from other damaged Oculus that people are selling online.
Replacing the damaged battery with the original one will give you the best performance out of the device.
What Charger to Use For the Quest 2?
If you have damaged the wire, you lost it or your pet chewed it. You can always use a USB type c 3.0 with the original headset or adapter and you are good to go.
There is no need to buy a whole charger for little damage to the wire or adapter.
Type c chargers look different to USB charger. The port is much smaller so they should be easier to spot.
These things are replaceable and you might not find the original because the company only sells it with the device. If you are lucky you might find someone selling online on other marketplaces.
If you don’t find one it doesn’t matter just find a good quality USB C 3.0 adapter. It will work just as the original one.
There are plenty of good quality USB type c 3.0 in the market. These alternatives will be as good as the original ones in quality and performance.
Just make sure their output is 5 volts, 2 amps. As long as you have these specs it will work just fine.
How Fast Will 10W Charge My Quest 2
The Oculus Quest 2 comes with a 10-watt charger. We recommend that you use that but you can use other chargers as well as long as their wattage is above 5w.
The standard 10w charger that comes with the Oculus Quest 2 will take 2 to 3 hours to charge your device from 0% to 100%.
If you use a charge with less wattage that time will increase indefinitely. In the same way, if you use a charger with higher wattage than the standard 10w, it might decrease the charging time of the device.
There is also a risk involved in not using the recommended 10-watt charger, in the long run it can affect your battery and damage the lithium component of the battery.
So you are better off using the 10w charger for a longer life of your device.
To charge the Oculus Quest 2 you need a 10-watt charger which runs on 5 volts and 2 amps.
As long as your adapter has these specs you don’t need to worry about anything. Any alternatives to these specs have been discussed in the article.
Wattage to Charge Other Oculus devices
Now that we have discuseed how much energy is needed to charge your Quest 2, its worth noting how this comapres to teher Oculus device.
Now with the recent introduction of the Quest 3, Oculus has came out and said that it needs 18W to fully charge the device.
This is almost double what it would take to charge the Quest 2. This seems to be because of the new features of the Quest 3. Such as things like a better battery and larger FOV etc.
However, the Quest 1 device also comes with the same watts required to charge it which is 18. You would think that you would need much less, however, the Quest 1 was one of its kind.
It most likley required more compononents that were less optmised and much larger. This obiulsy requires more energy input to run it.
You can use any charger whichever device comes with to charge your Quest 2. It may not charge it optimilaly, but this wont damamge your device in any sense of the word.
My Final Thoughts
In closing, to safely provide power to the Meta/Oculus Quest 2, use the included 10W (5V/2A) USB-C charger or an equivalent third-party model.
While lower wattages will charge slower and higher wattages risk gradual battery damage, 10W strikes the ideal balance of charge speed and safety.
Using things like a PC to charge your Oculus will slow down charging time and will not deliver as high of a wattage as what you would need to fully charge it within its normal charging timeframe.
Expect full recharges from empty to take around 2-3 hours on the stock charger. Be mindful to replace any damaged charging cables or adapters with equivalents meeting the 5V/2A/10W specification.
Following these charging guidelines will keep your Quest 2 battery and headset functioning optimally for the long term.
