Charging current of USB ports inside the center console

boybi

Member
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Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring
What is the ampere rating of the 2 USB ports inside the center console? There is no marking for the front USB ports, whereas the ports inside the center armrest of the 2nd row seats are clearly marked as 2.1A.
 
I don't know the amperage, but it definitely seems like it's less than 2 amps, because my phone charges pretty slowly and has even gone down while streaming Spotify and using Waze at the same time
 
I don't know the amperage, but it definitely seems like it's less than 2 amps, because my phone charges pretty slowly and has even gone down while streaming Spotify and using Waze at the same time

Yeah they're definitely weak. I bought a dual USB charger that I keep plugged in down in the passenger footwell because I too have noticed my phone draining while using nav+streaming.
 
They weren't designed to charge a phone, Mazda in there wisdom designed them to be just for media so they only output 190ma.
 
They weren't designed to charge a phone, Mazda in there wisdom designed them to be just for media so they only output 190ma.

Wow. You've got to be kidding. How could something so obvious get missed?
 
Is that 190ma correct? That seems awfully low. Even cheap chargers are typically at least 500ma.
 
I used Ampere to get an idea of the charging current of the front USB ports. Looks like it's 1 amp.
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Correct. For what ever reason, Mazda has decided to place 1amp ports in the centre console of their vehicles (CX-5 is the same) and 2.1A in the rear.

Hence charging phones via front ports is always going to be slower.
 
Correct. For what ever reason, Mazda has decided to place 1amp ports in the centre console of their vehicles (CX-5 is the same) and 2.1A in the rear.

Hence charging phones via front ports is always going to be slower.

Didn't their engineers know that the probability of having devices being charged in the front is a lot higher than in the back?
 
Didn't their engineers know that the probability of having devices being charged in the front is a lot higher than in the back?

More than likely yes but either:

  1. Cost cutting measure or
  2. Oversight
 
If i am reading this correctly, the adapter that sells on Amazon will block out data and allow for fast charging. If that is the case, then people who use the cable to play songs from their iphone via wire will not have this ability anymore.
 
It's definitely slow.. I use a 2A USB/Cigarette adapter instead.. and I wish the front cigarette adapter was also powered when the car is off... only the rear one is, and I got an extended adapter, and pulled it under the carpets to power my kids dual rear LCD screens.
 
I was noticing the same thing. I have several USB ports to choose from but have ended up using an Anker cigarette-lighter charger with the cord dangling down in the passenger compartment.

Why wouldn't all the USB ports in a vehicle like this be full powered? For devices like my iPhone and iPad this makes the difference between able to go into a meeting with everything fully charged versus barely having any power left. Pretty important for someone who is actually depending on charging their device during a drive.
 
I was noticing the same thing. I have several USB ports to choose from but have ended up using an Anker cigarette-lighter charger with the cord dangling down in the passenger compartment.

Why wouldn't all the USB ports in a vehicle like this be full powered? For devices like my iPhone and iPad this makes the difference between able to go into a meeting with everything fully charged versus barely having any power left. Pretty important for someone who is actually depending on charging their device during a drive.

See my previous post above re possible reasons
 
I just got this for my wife's car and it seems to be working great. Not sure of exact times but she said her phone is charging much faster.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)
Thanks for the recommendation! I did not even know something like this existed before I read your post, so I thought I was resigned to never being able to more quickly charge my phone in the armrest or having to get a separate lighter outlet charger and have a cord hanging out. I've been using it for the past couple of weeks and it works great in the car. I keep one plugged in with my micro usb cable all the time and also keep the 2nd unit in the armrest for car trips when my wife may need to charge her phone from the front seat.

This certainly was an oversight from Mazda: there are many other cars these days that allow data transfer through USB ports and for more than 0.5 Amp charging speeds. While 0.5 Amp may have been acceptable 5+ years ago, it's something they should have caught and updated in the past few years.

P.S. I wonder if this is an issue only in the new CX-9 or if they made this same mistake on all their cars. Anyone else have a newer Mazda with charger in armrest that can confirm?
 
this aint even the biggest complaint i have about this issue... they should have a wireless charger like my brother's 17 tacoma!!!
 
this aint even the biggest complaint i have about this issue... they should have a wireless charger like my brother's 17 tacoma!!!

I think they're already trying to solve it as technologies occupy an essential part of our everyday life.
 
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