mAh stands for milliampere-hour, which is a unit of measurement used to describe the capacity of a battery. It measures the amount of electrical charge that a battery can store and supply to a device.
For example, a battery with a capacity of 1000 mAh can supply 1 ampere of current for 1 hour before it is depleted. Similarly, a battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh can supply 5 amperes of current for 1 hour before it is depleted.
mAh affects batteries and chargers in the following ways:
- Battery life: The higher the mAh rating of a battery, the longer its runtime. This means that a device powered by a battery with a higher mAh rating can run for a longer period of time before needing to be recharged.
- Charging time: A battery with a higher mAh rating will take longer to charge than a battery with a lower mAh rating. This is because it takes more time to supply the same amount of energy to a battery with a higher capacity.
- Compatibility: The mAh rating of a battery must match the charging capacity of a charger for optimal performance. If a charger has a lower charging capacity than the battery, it will take longer to charge the battery or may not fully charge it.
- Portability: Batteries with higher mAh ratings tend to be larger and heavier than those with lower ratings, making them less portable.
In summary, mAh is an important specification to consider when choosing batteries and chargers for your devices. It determines the runtime of a device, the charging time of a battery, and the compatibility between batteries and chargers.