2023-12-05 15:53:22
On the performance of our mobile devices, we maintain a lot of technical falsehoods about their battery and the means to extract their full potential.
So to distinguish between folklore and scientific facts, see what stands out from what is myth.
Even when your battery is at 100%, it is still possible to recharge it.
TRUE…
Your smartphone’s battery may hold more power than the percentage displayed on the screen suggests. But if you want to overcharge too much, you will end up considerably reducing the overall life of the battery. At the heart of this problem is a delicate compromise between manufacturers. Increasing the charge available in a battery reduces the number of times that battery can be recharged and discharged without suffering internal damage. In order for batteries to last hundreds or thousands of charge cycles, manufacturers limit the amount of power they can discharge.
Charging your phone in airplane mode allows it to recharge faster
Almost true…
A common trick to speed up charging a phone when you’re in a hurry is to stick it in airplane mode. Airplane mode means all radio frequencies are turned off, meaning you won’t receive cellular data and, on some phones, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections will also be cut off. In theory, since your phone is working less, the battery should charge faster, right? This is technically true, but the difference in speed turns out to be rather minimal. A 2014 test by CNET found that turning on airplane mode shortened the recharge time by just four minutes. Maybe not being able to tweet while you wait isn’t worth it.
A lithium-ion battery from a smartphone
Mika Baumeister (Unsplash)
WiFi and Bluetooth connections running in the background take a toll on battery life
TRUE…
Besides the screen, one of the biggest causes of battery drain is the power your phone wastes comparing its already saved WiFi connections with surrounding WiFi networks. As you move around town (car, tram, bike, etc.), your device is constantly trying to connect to a WiFi mobile network. Turn it off to save battery life. Reducing your phone’s screen brightness and sleep time are also easy ways to extend your battery life.
Using an unofficial charger damages your phone
TRUE…
Not all phone chargers are created equal, which can have a detrimental effect on your battery life. The best chargers have circuits that limit the amount of current delivered and stop charging the phone when the battery is full, but many other chargers on the market aren’t as rigorous.
And if a battery receives too much current, it can cause battery degradation. It’s better to stick to homemade chargers or quality models.
Charging your phone from your computer will damage the battery
Faux…
Charging a little slower is probably good for the batteries. The slower you recharge a battery, the less stress is placed on the lithium ions and the structures that accommodate them, and the less likely the battery is to be damaged. This is why manufacturers impose limits on devices so that they do not charge too quickly.
Dmitry Nushtaev (Unsplash)
Turning off a device from time to time helps preserve battery life
Faux…
This is also a myth, but it is not completely unfounded. Before the lithium-ion battery became ubiquitous, the nickel-metal hydride battery was the rechargeable battery of choice. In these batteries, it was necessary to completely recharge or discharge the NiMH battery to have a measurement of the charge level.
With lithium-ion batteries, this is no longer the case. Modern batteries are able to read their status regardless of their charge level, and when your device is not in use, the strain on the battery is virtually the same as if the device were completely turned off, so you wouldn’t give the battery much of a break if you turned it off.
Cold, batteries perform less well
False (mostly)
In fact, the opposite is true. Using your battery in cool temperatures and keeping the battery cool is much better for battery life. High temperatures from a device exposed to sunlight or in your overheated car negatively affect the chemical structure of batteries; notably the spaces between the layers of lithium and cobalt oxide and graphite.
This is why electric car batteries have a thermal management system to prevent degradation due to heat and, conversely, to warm them and increase their efficiency if they are too cold.
When cold, a weak battery will confuse the electronics and cause the device to turn off.
When it comes to your smartphone, as long as you keep it at room temperature, you’re fine.
Augur Pepper (Unsplash)
You must let the battery go down to 0% before recharging it
Faux…
Oddly enough, it is when they are fully recharged or completely empty that the batteries are used the most. The true sweet spot for a cell is a 50% charge, which means that half of the mobile lithium ions are in the cobalt oxide layer and half are in the graphite layer. This balance puts as little stress on the battery as possible and increases the number of recharge cycles it can withstand before degrading.
The ideal is to maintain your charge between 20 and 80%.
Charging more than 100% will damage your battery
True (but not for the reason you think)
This myth is closely linked to the previous one. Charging your phone to 100% overnight isn’t good news for the battery, but that doesn’t mean you’re giving it more power than it can handle. A “trickle charge” mechanism cuts off the charger when the phone has reached 100% capacity and only recharges the battery when it drops a little.
On the other hand, maintaining the charge level constantly at 100% subjects the battery to a certain voltage. But as long as it’s within the battery limits dictated by the manufacturer, it shouldn’t be a concern.
With all these tips, you will be able to protect the lifespan of your expensive mobile devices.
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