DIY air-cooled cradle cuts Galaxy Watch 9 charging time as Samsung stays silent
A Reddit user built a 3D-printed cradle with a 60mm Noctua fan that cuts Galaxy Watch 9 charging from 15% to 100% to 1 hour 15 minutes, targeting thermal throttling Samsung has not fixed.
The cradle was created by Reddit user aloowak. It uses a 60mm Noctua NF-A6x25 fan, a model commonly used in PC cases, mounted underneath the charger. A micro-switch is pressed when the watch is placed on the charging puck, turning the fan on. The user claims that at a 23°C ambient temperature, the fan reduced charging time from 15% to 100% from 2 hours 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, nearly halving it.
Charging problems on the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 have been well documented, and users have long complained that the smartwatches aggressively throttle charging speeds because of heat buildup. Several users have grown tired of waiting for Samsung to address the issue and have turned to makeshift solutions to achieve faster charging times.
Despite widespread complaints and these homemade fixes, Samsung has not acknowledged the issue, released a patch, or responded to inquiries, according to Android Authority.