“Don’t use your phone while it’s charging,” “don’t leave it plugged in overnight” and “always let it die completely” — these are just a few well spread myths about smartphone batteries. I like to do every one of these things because it breaks my heart to see my battery at less than 100%.
When it comes to battery life, there are several rumoured rules you can simply ignore. Phone batteries are not as weak or delicate as people would have you believe. Most lithium-ion batteries, used by electronic companies like Samsung and Apple, should last between three and five years, if you take proper care of it. Mashable put together a list of 5 myths that are just hashing your charging buzz, we added a bonus 6th.
Myth 1: Using off-brand chargers destroys batteries.
The truth: Off-brand chargers, while not optimal, are fine. It’s knockoffs you should avoid.
Don’t go for cheap brand knockoff chargers when you can at least purchase inexpensive, off-brand chargers. If your BlackBerry charging port can accommodate an inexpensive but original Nokia charger, you should go for it. Lifehacker ran a detailed experiment in which they compared official chargers with knockoffs and off-brand models. The results showed that off-brand chargers, although not as good as the official thing, work just fine.
Myth 2: You shouldn’t use your phone while it charges.
The truth: Use it all you want, as long as you’re not using a knock-off charger.
People believe that using a phone while charging will make the phone explode, or electrocute the user. If you’re using the manufacturer-approved charger and battery, or even original off-brand ones, you should be fine.
Myth 3: Charging your phone overnight kills the battery.
The truth: Your phone is smarter than you think.
Once it’s fully juiced up, it knows to stop charging. That means the battery isn’t even in use at all. However, don’t overdo it. That doesn’t mean you should be charging your phone all night, every night. Your battery life will last longer if you keep your phone charged between 40% and 80%.
Myth 4: You don’t need to turn your phone off — ever.
The truth: Your phone may be a machine, but it still needs to take a few breaks.
At the very least, Apple experts recommend turning your phone off once a week in order to preserve battery life. Turning off your phone is important for all devices though. A simple reboot can help restore battery life.
Myth 5: Don’t charge your phone until it’s completely dead.
The truth: (I don’t know if anyone really believes this anyway) It’s better to charge your phone every day than to do a “deep charge” from time to time.
Lithium-ion batteries, like the kind used in Samsung and Apple products fare better when they’re charged. If you constantly let them drain to 0%, they become unstable. Your battery has a finite number of charge cycles, and every time it fully dies, that’s another cycle out the window.
Myth 6: Charge your new phone for _ hours before using it.
The truth: You only have to charge your new phone till the battery indicator is full
These days, almost every new phone ships with at least half a charge. Lithium polymer batteries are designed to be stored at 40% of charge. That’s what you should be checking for. If you buy a new phone and it does not have a 40% charge, you should ask for a different one as the battery is now considered aged, not charge it up by yourself.
Fact — heat will ruin a battery.
The truth: Heat and tech don’t generally go hand-in-hand, and that’s no different with phone batteries. Lithium-ion batteries heat themselves, and get hotter while they’re being charged. Cold weather can also have a negative impact on a phone’s life, and a cold battery will die faster than usual in low temperatures. Apple recommends 32 degrees Fahrenheit as the lowest temperature an iPhone should be subjected to while Samsung guarantees its phones can function anywhere between -4 and 122 degrees.
Source: Mashable; Photo Credit: Gary Bridgman via Compfight cc
