Battery Charging Basics: How to Charge Your Smartphone Properly

Smartphone users, are you in search of longer battery life? Then you’ve come to the right place. 

If you have owned a phone for more than a year, you will most likely have noticed that the battery doesn’t seem to last as long compared to when the phone was brand new. While fast charging technologies keep our phone full of juice, the lack of replaceable batteries causes the lithium-ion battery within our phones to slowly deteriorate. Unless you can afford to buy a new phone every time the battery starts to age, then, unfortunately, this is inevitable. Although, there are steps you can take to lengthen the battery life on your smartphone.

We have rounded up the best tips to ensure you are charging your smartphone correctly and making the most of out of your device. Carry on reading to find out.

Want to know how to charge your smartphone correctly? Then follow these simple steps:

• Avoid charging your phone full cycle (0-100%). Instead, top it up regularly in shorter charges.

• Turn off your phone whilst it is charging. If this isn’t possible, at least refrain from playing games or watching videos on your device whilst it is charging. This will only slow the process down.

• If your phone does drop below 10%, make sure you turn your handset off whilst it is charging for a couple of minutes. Let it regain some juice before you switch it back on.

• Don’t purchase shoddy chargers. Whether that be a cable from the corner store or a charger from your buddy at the car boot, ensure you use genuine, high-quality chargers and charging cables.

The smartphone in your pocket is a highly advanced piece of technology. Look after it and you can be confident it will work to its full potential.

Partial-charging is the way forward:

Charging your phone only partially is sufficient enough for the batteries within your smartphone and can actually benefit the durability of your battery cell. Smartphones contain lithium-ion batteries – A lithium-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery, allowing you to plug your phone into a charger time after time.

A lot of people, (we included) have been under the impression that charging your smartphone in small bursts will cause damage in the long run and it’s better to actually charge them when they are close to being dead. But as a matter of fact, this is completely wrong. Battery University discusses, that charging the battery fully is bad due to the stress it becomes under:

“In fact, it is better not to fully charge because a high voltage stresses the battery.”

This lengthened stress could result in damage to your smartphone battery’s continuance.

How does a lithium-ion battery work?

Similar to other batteries, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is formed from one or more power-generating parts known as cells. Fundamentally, each of these cells has three different components which include a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a chemical positioned in between them called an electrolyte. Usually, the positive electrode is made from a chemical compound named lithium-cobalt oxide, whilst the negative one is made from carbon (graphite).

Rechargeable batteries typically work in the same way as other batteries, by moving the electron from one “end” of the battery to the other. When the battery is put on to charge, the lithium-cobalt oxide in the positive electrode, let’s go of some of its lithium ions, which then proceed to move through the electrolyte towards the negative, graphite electrode and stays there. During this process the battery takes in and stores energy, allowing your phone to gain juice.

Can high temperatures kill a battery?

Alongside the above factors, high temperatures can put your battery under a lot of stress and decrease its longevity.

What’s unquestionably risky to a battery’s lifespan is high temperatures. Lithium-particle batteries loathe heat. A li-particle battery that has been exposed to temperatures of around 100 degrees Fahrenheit for a year will lose around 40 percent of its general charge limit. At 75 degrees Fahrenheit, it’ll lose just around 20 percent.

Try to avoid putting your phone in hot temperatures or covering the device with clothing or other items whilst it is on charge. Don’t leave your phone under your pillow or plugged into your car on a hot summers day. This will just cause it to overheat and can be very dangerous.

Can I charge my phone overnight?

Presumably, many people charge their phones overnight. This way, you can wake up to a fully charged handset ready to use for the day ahead. However, most phones will only take a couple of hours to charge so it seems silly to leave it plugged it all night.

Luckily, the majority of smartphones have been made to stop charging once the battery is full. Manufacturers have ensured that the cell inside the battery isn’t capable of overcharging. So charging your phone throughout the night, won’t necessarily overcharge the battery.

However, experts recommend that you don’t leave your phone charging unattended for long periods of time due to the possibility of the battery overheating. Your phone naturally loses a small bit of charge on its own.  So, continuing to charge your phone once it has reached 100%, can lead to the battery reaching higher temperatures, due to your phone constantly topping up your battery to keep it at full charge.

Try not to charge your phone overnight if possible. However, if you are going to do this, make sure you remove it from your phone case and ensure there is nothing covering the phone like material or a pillowcase. Place it on a solid, secure surface.

Are wireless chargers bad for my battery?

Not by any stretch of the imagination, so far as you’re utilising a quality wireless charger of the correct sort and aren’t leaving it to reach 100% every time.

As previously stated, experts believe it is not a good idea to keep your phone fully charged all the time. Though it’s not possible to overcharge the battery of a phone, try not to leave your phone on the wireless charger for long periods of time.

They aren’t any superior to charging over a wire, either. Charging a battery makes it hot. Warmth decreases battery life expectancy. Once the power from a remote charger goes into your device it’s dealt with an indistinguishable path from a wired charger. Inside the battery where the compound reaction is occurring, heat develops regardless as to whether you charge it with a cable or a wireless pad. So to answer the question, as long as you follow the care of not letting your phone fully charge, it is not bad for your battery.

Wireless charging does, in some cases, take longer, however, it additionally is less wear and tear on the USB attachment on your device. So could be more beneficial for the longevity of other components on your phone.

If you are looking for the best wireless chargers, we recommend the 15W Qi Fast Wireless Charger from oneo. The oneo Qi Wireless charger enables you to charge your compatible phone without the need to plug into a wall charger or USB port. This Wireless Charging Pad is faster than many standard wired chargers on the market and is essentially future-proof.

As smartphones get updated and new models are released, the wattage for charging will also increase. As this hardware is updated, you will not need to replace your oneo wireless charger any time soon due to its 15-watt charging output. This Qi-Certified charger is compatible with any Qi-enabled device and has the ability to charge through phone cases under 3mm thick.

Is fast-charging bad for my battery?

When utilising any fast charging method, you will be using a charger that is equipped for providing power at a higher voltage than usual. Your device has been programmed to advise the charger how much power to convey, and the charger has hardware that can respond to this demand. Without the two sides having the capacity to impart, fast charging can’t occur.

There is a considerable measure of the science behind speedy charging. Its vast majority discusses that speedy charging adds to a speedier decrease of the battery’s life expectancy. In any case, no one can measure precisely how much. However, if you are interested in finding a method specifically focused on how to charge your phone faster then fast charging is the most viable option for you.

Fast charging is uber-helpful and has changed the way a considerable amount of us make use of our devices. The best suggestion, for this situation, is to use it carefully in case you’re worried that it influences battery lifespan.

How to charge your smartphone correctly:

Regardless of how frequently you plug it in and breathe life back into it, over time your battery will age and solely deteriorate. This is unavoidable. Most lithium-particle batteries have an evaluated lifetime of somewhere close to 500 and 1,500 charge cycles. However, steps can be taken to reduce the speed of deterioration and prolong the battery life of your mobile phone. How do you charge your phone?

Interested in purchasing the best charger for your device? Head to our website now to view our full range of mobile phone chargers.