Fast charging is becoming a standard feature on smartphones, electric vehicles, laptops, and other gadgets. It’s convenient as it lets you juice up your device or car in less time than you would conventionally have to wait.
But as much as fast charging is impressive, does it have any negative effects on battery life? And are fast chargers bad for your phone? Let’s break it down for you.
Your phone battery isn’t changing anytime soon
All mobile phones — and most personal electronics and electric vehicles — use lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries. It’s a tough slog to create batteries that last longer because battery technology hasn’t changed in decades. Instead, much of the recent progress in battery life has come from power-saving features built into devices and from making the software that manages to charge and discharging more efficiently, so you sip power rather than guzzle it.
Unfortunately for mobile phones, the focus on extending battery life is generally on cars, satellites, and your home’s power system, areas where industrial batteries need to function far beyond the two or three years we expect from our mobile devices.
Another force working against our phones is their battery size. Compared to an electric car battery, a phone’s power source is minute. For example, the Tesla 3’s rechargeable battery has a battery capacity over 4,000 times greater than the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
How Do Phone Companies Mitigate the Impact of Fast Charging?
Smartphone companies have also devised other ways to reduce the impact of the fast charging phase on the battery by using a dual-battery design. This way, the two batteries share the high input load during the fast-charging phase—thus preventing damage.
Another preventive measure is the different battery management software systems. Smartphones have a dedicated management system for overseeing charging, preventing the battery from being damaged by a high input charge. Apple’s optimized battery charging is an excellent example of this.
Essentially, the effectiveness of your phone’s battery management software dictates whether fast charging damages your battery or not.
The bottom line is fast charging won’t impact your battery life substantially. But the physics behind the technology means you shouldn’t expect the battery to last longer than using a conventional “slow” charging brick.
Is it bad to unplug your phone before it reaches 100?
Your battery might degrade slightly faster, but going to 100% won’t kill you. … For years, it’s been said that letting your phone charged all the way to 100% will result in the battery degrading faster compared to unplugging once it reaches 80% or so.
How do I keep my battery healthy?
13 tips to extend the lifespan of your phone and better understand how your phone battery degrades. … Avoid full cycle (zero-100 percent) and overnight charging. … Expect shorter battery life in cold weather. … Avoid expensive extended warranties. … Use your phone to its fullest. … Protect your battery. … Avoid fast wireless charging. More items…•
Is it better to charge your phone to 100?
Specifically, if you often charge your phone overnight or keep it plugged in for hours after it’s reached 100%, you’re accelerating the aging process of lithium-ion smartphone batteries. … No matter what you do, your phone’s battery capacity — which translates to its lifespan — will degrade as you use it.
Is it bad to charge your phone multiple times a day?
Giving your phone a full recharge is not fatal for a phone battery, and it seems almost counter-intuitive not to do so, but giving it a partial charge keeps the capacitor in better shape and lasts longer.
Is 2.4 A fast charging?
Understanding Fast Charging The output of a charge is measured in amperage and voltage. … Most phones and other devices are capable of handling 5V/2.4A. For fast charging, you’re looking at something that bumps the voltage up 5V, 9V, 12V, and beyond, or increases amperage to 3A and above.
Is it bad to use the phone while charging?
There is no danger in using your phone while it’s charging. This myth comes from fears about batteries overheating. … Charging tip: While you can use it during a charge, having the screen on or apps refreshing in the background uses power, so it will charge the device more slowly.
Should I charge my phone to 100 before unplugging?
Should I charge my phone to 100 before unplugging? … The idea is that when a battery reaches 100 percent charge level and is unplugged, it will still use some