Cell phone battery does not last? Charging do three things wrong

First, let s popularize a little knowledge. Nowadays, cell phones and laptops use lithium-ion batteries instead of NiMH/Nichrome batteries of the past. As a res...

Oct 26,2023 | SARAH

First, let's popularize a little knowledge. Nowadays, cell phones and laptops use lithium-ion batteries instead of NiMH/Nichrome batteries of the past. As a result, many of the old "charging secrets" no longer apply. If you make the following three mistakes, the battery may not last as long.

1. Charge three times to activate? Unbelievable!

In the early Nokia days, there was a rumor that the battery of a new phone needed to be fully charged and discharged three times in order to activate the full capacity, and even said that charging it for 12 hours was even better. However, this rumor was wrong.

The memory effect of the built-in lithium-ion battery in both cell phones and laptops is minimal to negligible. Therefore, there is no need to perform three full charges and discharges to activate the battery.

2. Draining and recharging? Not necessary!

Many people like to charge their batteries only after they have run out of power, thinking that this will prolong the life of the battery. However, this is not necessary.

Since the memory effect of lithium batteries is minimal, there is no need to fully discharge the battery to maintain its performance. On the contrary, deep discharge will affect the performance of lithium ions in the battery, and frequent depletion of the battery is not conducive to long-term use.

3. Frequent charging loss? Doesn't exist!

We all know that batteries have a cycle life, but you may not know how the life is calculated. Many people are afraid to charge frequently, thinking that each charge will reduce the cycle life once. However, this algorithm is wrong.

A charging cycle is only counted when the cumulative amount of discharge reaches 100% of capacity.

The cycle life of lithium batteries is counted once when the discharged capacity reaches the rated capacity. If you charge it every time you use only 10% of the capacity, it will take 10 charges to consume one cycle life.

In addition, we need to popularize another knowledge: the lithium-ion batteries used in cell phones and computers can have a cycle life of more than 500 times. 500 cycles does not mean what most people understand it to mean. High-quality batteries can still provide 80% of their design capacity after 500 cycles.

Therefore, there is absolutely no need to worry about cycle life when charging cell phones and laptops. Instead, avoid the effects of frequent overcharging or over-discharging on your battery to make your cell phone battery last longer. When using your cell phone, you can charge it whenever you feel it is running low. Also, charging in a timely manner to keep the battery fully charged can avoid unnecessary hassles caused by a dead battery.

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