Here’s how long it takes to charge a completely dead Kindle:
For standard charging, most Kindle versions can go from a dead battery to completely full in five hours or less.
With a fast charger, fast wireless charger, or any other charger that speeds up the process, a dead Kindle can be charged in as little as 2.5 hours.
It depends on the version of Kindle and charger.
So if you want to learn all about charging a completely dead Kindle, then you’re in the right place.
Let’s get started!
What Is a Completely Dead Kindle Battery?
Kindles use batteries, so if your Kindle is completely dead, I’m assuming that you’re referring to the battery.
The thing is, a completely dead battery might not mean the same thing to everyone, so I think the best place to start is with a little clarification.
If your battery indicator gets down close to 0, and the Kindle shuts itself off because of it, you have a pretty drained battery.
When you can’t turn the device on because the battery is so low, most people consider that to be a completely dead battery.
I think that’s reasonable, and that’s the definition I’m going to stick to today.
In all of the sections after this one, if I talk about the battery or Kindle being dead or completely dead, that’s what I mean.
But before that, I want to explain a little more about batteries.
Kindles use lithium-ion batteries (or variants of this technology). These batteries are easy and fast to charge.
They hold their charge for a long time, and they’re very efficient.
They’re great all around.
But, there’s one catch to the behavior of lithium-ion batteries.
If you ever let them run completely out of juice, they die.
I’m not talking about running the Kindle until it shuts itself off.
I’m talking about getting every last drop of electricity out of that battery.
The only way to really do it is to run the battery until the Kindle is off.
Then, don’t charge the device and leave it alone for six months or longer (the exact amount of time varies wildly by battery).
While the Kindle with a drained battery just sits there, the battery is slowly going to bleed out the little bit of charge that was left in it when the device shut off.
Eventually, it will hit true 0 charge. When it does, the battery is toast.
You won’t be able to recharge the battery at all, and trying to do so could even be dangerous.
So before we get into charge times, heed this one safety tip.
Recharge your device when you run out the battery.
How Long Does It Take to Charge Each Type of Kindle? (6 Types)
With that out of the way, let’s get into the real purpose of this content.
I’m going to show you the expected charging time for each type of Kindle.
In every case, the numbers assume you are starting with a completely dead battery.
#1 Kindle Paperwhite
For the Paperwhite, you can expect a dead-to-full charge to take roughly 5 hours with the standard USB charging cable.
It will depend mostly on the health of the battery.
As batteries age, they wear out, and charging times can slow down.
With a more powerful 9W charger, you can get that charging time down to 2.5 hours.
The big thing about the Paperwhite is that it is not a full-fledged tablet.
It doesn’t have a vibrant, color touchscreen, and it doesn’t process nearly as much information as a full tablet would.
Because of that, the Paperwhite doesn’t need the most powerful battery on the market, and even when it’s drained, it doesn’t have to take forever to charge the battery.
Despite all of that, the Paperwhite supposedly can go up to 10 weeks without a recharge.
#2 Paperwhite Kids
The Paperwhite Kids is a lot like the original Paperwhite, but the kids edition comes with content geared towards kids.
This includes access to the Amazon Kids+ subscription and tools for learning readers that help with vocabulary and learning new words.
The kids edition has the same battery as the standard Paperwhite, and charging times are the same.
In case you skipped that section, the Paperwhite Kids charges in 5 hours (from being completely drained) if you use the standard USB charger.
If you use a 9W charger (which is considerably more powerful), the Paperwhite Kids can charge in 2.5 hours or less.
#3 Paperwhite Signature Edition
The Signature Edition Paperwhite uses the same battery as the original Paperwhite.
That means (as you might have guessed) that it has the same battery life.
What might surprise you is that the Signature Edition charges a little more slowly than the Paperwhite.
According to Amazon, you can expect to leave this device plugged in for five hours to get it fully charged.
But, if you use a 9W USB power supply (which Amazon makes), then it will fully charge in 3.5 hours or less.
The Signature Edition is also compatible with 10W Qi wireless chargers, and they can also charge the device in less than 3.5 hours.
#4 Kindle
The original Kindle has been around for a while now.
The modern version has specifications that are comparable to some of the other Kindle versions you’ve already seen.
As an example, the battery is very close in total performance.
It takes roughly four hours to fully charge a Kindle, provided you use a standard 5W USB power adapter.
Keep in mind that you won’t get 5W of power from older USB 2.0 ports. As long as you have USB 3.0 or newer, it will be fine.
Because the Kindle has a front light and operates a little differently from the Paperwhite, the battery is only rated to last up to four weeks under optimal conditions.
#5 Kindle Kids Edition
The Kindle Kids is a lot like the original Kindle, but it has special features designed to make it kid-friendly.
Parents can control what their kids can access, and that can prevent accidental spending.
It also helps parents control the content that their kids see, and it comes with some free books that are popular among children (such as the Harry Potter series).
When it comes to the battery, the Kindle Kids can go for four weeks without a charge.
You have to really optimize how you use the Kindle to get quite that much longevity, but going more than a week is pretty normal for most users.
The battery itself takes roughly four hours for a complete charge. This can be achieved with any 5W charger.
#6 Kindle Oasis
The Kindle Oasis has its own battery, and that means the numbers will look a bit different.
Starting with battery life, one charge can keep an Oasis going for up to six weeks.
Once again, this is the maximum if all conditions are ideal.
But, the Oasis can definitely go multiple weeks between charges on a regular basis.
As for charge times, this one is faster than most.
You can fully charge your Oasis in 3 hours, and you can do it with a standard 5W USB power source.
So, even if you’re plugged into a USB 3.0 slot on the computer, you should expect a full charge in only 3 hours.
How Much Difference do Chargers Make When Charging Your Kindle? (2 Things)
When it comes to charging times, only two things really matter.
How healthy is the battery?
What kind of charger are you using?
Assuming you have a healthy battery, the charger is the main issue, and there are a lot of options.
So, I’m going to take you through expectations with Amazon-made chargers and third-party options.
#1 Name-Brand Chargers
The standard Kindle charger, no matter which version you get, is a 5W USB charger.
You can plug it into any USB adapter, and it will work.
You can also plug it directly into a computer with a USB port to get your charge.
I’ve explained this earlier, but USB 2.0 ports can’t supply 5W of power, so if you plug into one of these, the charging time will be way longer than you expect.
Amazon also makes 9W chargers, and it’s reasonable to consider them fast chargers.
Having more wattage (5W vs 9W) means that more power can flow into the battery each second.
That ultimately leads to dramatically lower charging times, even if the battery was dead when you started.
These are the primary options, and I listed their respective charging times with each Kindle variant above.
#2 Third-Party Chargers
Third-party chargers add a wrinkle.
If you get a third-party USB charger, then in theory, it should work the same as an Amazon charger.
If it provides 5W, then it will charge at the same rate. But, there is one thing to remember.
Third-party chargers might not fit quite as snugly into the Kindle’s charging port.
If that is the case, charging will be less efficient, and times will stretch beyond what I’ve quoted you, but usually not by much.
The other thing to consider is wireless charging.
Amazon lists Qi as being compatible, and it provides 10W of power, so it charges compatible devices very quickly.
If you want to try out a different wireless charger, exercise caution.
Wireless charging is not universally compatible, so make sure you get things that you know will work with your Kindle.Â
