Without a battery, a smartphone is a meaningless plate with dead electronics. Even the best modern batteries don't last forever. Over time, they keep the charge weaker and weaker and take longer to replenish it. To extend the battery life, you need to know the peculiarities of charging the phone battery and take good care of the batteries.
Content
- About LI-Ion batteries
- Charge and discharge
- Storage and care
About LI-Ion batteries
Today's smartphones and tablets use lithium-ion batteries, which have replaced nickel-based batteries.
The electrochemical processes in them look something like this: when the battery is charging, positively charged lithium ions move from one electrode, called the anode, to another, called the anode, through the electrolyte solution in the battery cell. This forces the electrons to concentrate on the anode - the negative pole. During discharge, the reverse process occurs - electrons move through circuits that are external to the battery, providing electrical current. Compared to the previous generation of batteries, lithium-ion has many advantages:
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High energy density. This means they can provide high energy consumption without being bulky. - Low self-discharge. For a month of storage without load, they lose about 1.5%. For comparison, for nickel, this figure is close to 20%.
- Fast charging. This characteristic of Li-Ion is a record in the group of chemical batteries based on all technologies used for smartphones.
- The ability to produce power supplies of any geometric shape, which is important for ultra-compact and ultra-thin devices.
Over the years, scientists have refined the formula and design of lithium-ion batteries to charge faster and more efficiently. Despite their efforts, batteries based on this technology still have a limited lifespan.
One of the disadvantages of this type of battery is that, due to the nature of the chemical reactions, the charging and discharging cycles can only be repeated a certain number of times.
This limit varies for different models and manufacturers, but most modern batteries in phones provide for two to three years of operation without losing their properties for about 500 cycles.
Charge and discharge
Knowledge of how to properly charge a mobile phone with a Li-Ion battery, will allow you to extend his life as much as possible. It is very important when handling them to discard the stereotypes inherited from dealing with previous generation nickel batteries. For example, that for a new device out of the box it is necessary to make the most complete discharge and charge. In fact, for lithium-ion batteries, this not only does not matter for further operation, but can also harm them.
For Li-Ion batteries, shallow discharges and refills are much more preferable for durability than periods of thorough charging and discharging. It is recommended to use up to 50% capacity before the next refill and avoid 100% refilling.
If, nevertheless, a full charge has occurred, do not leave the device turned on. Yes, of course, manufacturers provide restrictions on this case - smart phone electronics will stop charging at a critical limit. But this protection is designed to restrict above all the risks of battery explosion from overheating, not its durability. Therefore, 100% filling, as well as further recharging, in the long term can lead to premature aging of the battery.
Although small discharges and charges contribute to longevity, there are exceptions to this rule. Once a month, it's a good idea to drain the batteries down to 5% to calibrate the battery analysis system. This allows the smartphone electronics to predict the remaining operating time in the current mode as accurately as possible.
The calibration procedure itself is not very useful for batteries, therefore, in other cases, they should not be discharged below 20%. We must do justice to the efforts of manufacturers in relation to users - improvements in Li-Ion technology appear with enviable consistency, so each new generation of smartphones is less and less sensitive to service batteries.
Storage and care
Lithium-ion batteries don't like extreme temperatures. Exposure to frost or direct sunlight should be avoided whenever possible. Temperatures below 0 ° C and above 40 ° C are detrimental to their service life and capacity. It is especially important not to allow them to overheat while charging - devices of the first generation could even explode in this mode. In modern smartphones, if manufacturers have made quality control systems, then this should not be a problem.
As another precaution, be sure to use only the original charger. This will ensure that it is optimized for safe operation and efficient battery maintenance. Using the charger supplied with your phone will be the best condition for a good battery condition.
If you need to store your smartphone without work for more than a month, you should prepare it for this as follows: charge approximately 50% and make sure the storage area is at room temperature and not in direct sunlight rays.
In short, all the basic rules for charging a modern phone can be summarized as follows:
- do not allow full discharge and full discharge;
- disconnect a phone with 100% capacity from the charger;
- with active use, use the possibility of small charging and discharging cycles (2-3 times a day).
The documentation accompanying your device should include tips and tricks for servicing your particular phone model. It is never a bad idea to read the additional battery maintenance instructions carefully. These little things can be important information for those looking to extend the life of a battery before replacing it.
