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Finding an outlet in any place and situation to quickly charge your phone or other devices has become somewhat of a modus operandi for any tech user. It’s always the same old story, too: As the batteries in our electronics endure daily wear and tear, their ability to hold a charge becomes weaker and weaker—leaving us with a dead smartphone or a low laptop battery life at the worst possible moment. Why exactly does that happen? We’ve got the answer, along with a handy tip for charging your device’s battery. Bonus: This power strip solves so many charging woes.
Why do some device batteries seem to die quickly?
There’s a simple explanation for why this happens, as it turns out. (The dead battery, that is; not your bad luck.) “The life of a lithium-ion battery is generally 500 cycles (about a year and a half). A battery cycle is measured by one full charge of 0 to 100. So, the more full cycles your phone goes through, the sooner you have to change it,” saysLiz Hamilton, Director, People and Customers at Mobile Klinik, a mobile phone repair business. We can thank chemical reactions—which create atomic buildup while the device charges—for batteries’ limited lifetimes.
How can you make your device’s battery last longer?
So, what’s a techie (or just the average smartphone owner) to do? To make your battery last as long as possible, though, there’s a highly recommended method for charging your devices. And you can try it right now!
Hamilton says that you should only be partially charging your phone to slow down the depletion of your batteries life cycle. She says the sweet spot to keep your battery charged is at 25-85%. Find out why your phone is charging slowly.
“Lithium-ion batteries can be stressed at the extremes. One of the biggest contenders for destroying your phone’s battery health is letting the phone charge past 100 percent,” says Hamilton. “Many people have this habit and don’t realize the damage it causes to their battery.”
So, the trick: Don’t let your phone’s battery drain completely to zero, and when charging it, only let it reach about 85 percent and then unplug.If you do fillyour battery completely, don’t leave the device plugged in; doing so constantly cancause your electronics to age faster in the long run.
Hamilton also recommends turning down your screen’s brightness, disabling features that you don’t use such as location, certain apps, and notifications and using low power mode to extend the life of your battery.
Of course,these are just suggestions; you’re in no danger if you keepyour phone charging overnight. But following the guidelines could make your battery last muchlonger, which ultimately saves you money down the road. To save even more money, use these tech tricks to save data and lower your cell phone bill.
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FAQs
So, the trick: Don't let your phone's battery drain completely to zero, and when charging it, only let it reach about 85 percent and then unplug. If you do fill your battery completely, don't leave the device plugged in; doing so constantly can cause your electronics to age faster in the long run.
How do you charge your battery to make it last longer? ›
Therefore, we recommend the following:
- Do not fully charge or fully discharge your device's battery — charge it to around 50%. ...
- Power down the device to avoid additional battery use.
- Place your device in a cool, moisture-free environment that's less than 90° F (32° C).
The best practice for preserving phone battery health is to plug it in at around 20% and charge it up to 80-90%. This is especially important if you use fast charging, as charging from 0% will cause a lot of heat, and from 80% up, fast charging becomes less efficient.
How can I make my phone battery last longer? ›
Depending on your device, you can:
- Let your screen turn off sooner.
- Reduce screen brightness.
- Set the brightness to change automatically.
- Turn off keyboard sounds or vibrations.
- Restrict apps with high battery use.
- Turn on adaptive battery.
- Delete unused accounts.
- Turn on dark theme.
- 1) Don't charge until you're down to 20 percent.
- 2) Don't keep it plugged in at 100 percent — or let it go to zero.
- 3) Don't let it get too hot.
- 4) Don't obsess too much about charging with a recent phone or laptop.
- 5) Don't upgrade when the battery dies — repair.
When using slow charging, the cycle life of the battery can usually reach more than 3,000 times. However, if it is always fast charging, the cycle life will be shortened to about a thousand times, or even lower. So slow charging vs fast charging are important to batteries life.
Do batteries last longer when fully charged? ›
All batteries self-discharge, a lot faster when fully charged than when about 50% charged, which you don't want. A top-off charger (trickle charger if they're lead-acid [car] batteries) will keep them at between 99% and 100% at all times, safely.
Is it OK to use phone while charging? ›
Yes, you can use your smartphone while charging. There is no danger in using your phone while it's charging. When you use your phone while charging, the battery is charging at a slower rate than normal to allow enough power for the ongoing usage.
Is it bad for your phone battery to charge all night? ›
Charging your phone overnight is not only unnecessary, it also accelerates battery ageing. Full charging cycles (going from 0%–100%) should be avoided to maximise your battery's lifespan. Samsung says: charging your battery up to 100% too frequently may negatively impact the overall lifespan of the battery.
How often should I charge my phone to prolong the battery life? ›
Manufacturers recommend that you should aim to charge your lithium-ion battery from 40% to 80% and try not to let your battery to drop below 20%. If you do feel the need to do a full recharge from 0% to 100%, try to do this no more than once a month.
Here are some of the most common ones: There are too many push notifications and alerts draining the battery. There are too many apps running location services. There are too many apps running in the background.
Should I only charge my phone to 85? ›
“Many people have this habit and don't realize the damage it causes to their battery.” So, the trick: Don't let your phone's battery drain completely to zero, and when charging it, only let it reach about 85 percent and then unplug.
Does charging to 85 percent help? ›
Limiting your smartphone's maximum charge to 80-90% is better for the battery's health than topping up to completely full everytime. Use fast charging and wireless charging technologies sparingly and when your device is cool. Heat has the potential to accelerate battery health degradation.
What is the best percentage to charge a phone? ›
For the long-term health of the battery try to keep the phone in the sweet-spot range of 20-80%. Excessive heat damages batteries.
Is it okay to charge your phone at 40%? ›
It's best to charge your phone when it reaches 30-40% battery and unplug it again when it reaches 80-90% battery. It'll help maintain the health of your phone's battery.
How many times should I charge my phone in a day? ›
There's no absolute rules to follow. Most suggest the 20 – 80 rule, which you can definitely follow. You can even do 45 – 75 or others. As long as you understand what's harmful to your battery, you can tailor your charging habit according to your needs and daily routine.
Why is my battery draining so fast? ›
Close apps: While Android devices are made to multi-task, and closing apps can hurt more than it helps, there are times when closing apps is your best bet. Applications can go rogue, misbehave, or fail, in which case they often start draining your battery unnecessarily.
Does charging to 85 extend battery life? ›
Never fully charge or fully discharge your smartphone. According to Samsung, charging your Galaxy device to 85 per cent can extend the lifespan of the battery.
