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Do you charge your phone at any percentage?

  • 17-04-2014 5:53pm
    #1
    euser1984
    Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭


    I normally do when I'm at my computer; is it good or bad?

    Thanks.


Comments

  • #2
    same ol sh1te
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,837 ✭✭✭same ol sh1te


    euser1984 wrote: »
    I normally do when I'm at my computer; is it good or bad?

    Thanks.

    Yes, it's fine, just every so often let it drain completely until it shuts off.

    Are you charging it from the usb on your computer? A computer can only deliver 500mA, a charger can be much more powerful, up to 2100mA, would charge it many times quicker


  • #3
    Liamalone
    Registered Users Posts: 4,954 ✭✭✭Liamalone


    It is widely thought that draining lithium batteries to zero damages the battery cells and is detrimental to the lifespan/charging capacity of said battery. I don't drain it flat just in case.


  • #4
    fleet
    Registered Users Posts: 546 ✭✭✭fleet


    Lithium batteries don't need a full discharge. You're thinking of Ni-Cd, the technology before Ni-MH, which was before lithium...
    Lithium cells have a microchip built in (usually) to prevent over charge or over depletion (they don't like deep discharge).

    Charge it at any percentage, leave it plugged in, doesn't matter.
    There might be a slight advantage to keeping the charge above 75%, it's academic, most people dump their phone before the battery becomes an issue.

    Lithium batteries have approx 500 charge cycles or about 2.5 years shelf life, whichever is sooner (yes they'll last longer, but capacity will be lower).


  • #5
    same ol sh1te
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,837 ✭✭✭same ol sh1te


    Liamalone wrote: »
    It is widely thought that draining lithium batteries to zero damages the battery cells and is detrimental to the lifespan/charging capacity of said battery. I don't drain it flat just in case.

    You cannot drain it flat, your phone shuts down


  • #6
    euser1984
    Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭euser1984


    Thanks.


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  • #7
    Liamalone
    Registered Users Posts: 4,954 ✭✭✭Liamalone


    same ol sh1te wrote: »
    You cannot drain it flat, your phone shuts down

    Same thing


  • #8
    same ol sh1te
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,837 ✭✭✭same ol sh1te


    Liamalone wrote: »
    Same thing

    No it's not, phone battery stats are not at all accurate. This article explains why your phone can drop a few percent after unplugging from a charger, the same principle applies to the lower end of the scale. When your phone shuts down because it thinks the battery is low could really be 10% or more

    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=871051


  • #9
    Liamalone
    Registered Users Posts: 4,954 ✭✭✭Liamalone


    same ol sh1te wrote: »
    No it's not, phone battery stats are not at all accurate. This article explains why your phone can drop a few percent after unplugging from a charger, the same principle applies to the lower end of the scale. When your phone shuts down because it thinks the battery is low could really be 10% or more

    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=871051

    Jeez, when I said run it flat I meant until the phone shut itself down, I could hardly run it any flatter once it has automatically turned off.


  • #10
    same ol sh1te
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,837 ✭✭✭same ol sh1te


    Liamalone wrote: »
    Jeez, when I said run it flat I meant until the phone shut itself down, I could hardly run it any flatter once it has automatically turned off.

    That's what I mean, when your phone shuts down there could be 10% or more left in it, the stats are not accurate. Making it drain until is shuts down does no harm


  • #11
    Liamalone
    Registered Users Posts: 4,954 ✭✭✭Liamalone


    same ol sh1te wrote: »
    That's what I mean, when your phone shuts down there could be 10% or more left in it, the stats are not accurate. Making it drain until is shuts down does no harm

    In the link you provided, a post by a forum user on XDA, nowhere do I see reports of the battery level being more than what is displayed by the phone, it seems to always display more than what the battery is actually holding. Indeed, my old HTC Desire used to regularly shutdown at 12-15% as the battery was drained, I'm sceptical as to whether a phone will shutdown and there still be juice in the battery.

    Anyway, it appears that discharging the battery fully is considered unhealthy for the battery:

    taken from http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

    ''Similar to a mechanical device that wears out faster with heavy use, so also does the depth of discharge (DoD) determine the cycle count. The shorter the discharge (low DoD), the longer the battery will last. If at all possible, avoid full discharges and charge the battery more often between uses. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine; there is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles to prolong life, other than to calibrate the fuel gauge on a smart battery once in a while.''


    It is better to charge when you have the opportunity as it does no harm whereas depleting the battery 'fully' is not good for battery health.


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  • #12
    euser1984
    Registered Users Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭euser1984


    Has anyone any information that they could provide in a synopis regarding where battery technology for phones is going?

    My HTC One is annoying in that it beeps at 14% and in no time it is down at 8 and then 4, then off. It's ridiculous....


  • #13
    peckerhead
    Registered Users Posts: 3,379 ✭✭✭peckerhead


    Check out the Battery University (I sh1t you not: www.batteryunversity.com) :D


  • #14
    truedoom
    Registered Users Posts: 400 ✭✭truedoom


    i always charge it when it says to. So from under 15%. I figure samsung put enough R&D into the phone to know when would be the best time to charge the battery.

    Sometimes if i know it won't last, i might charge it from 30% or 50% up to full, but that wouldn't be often.


  • #15
    jimgoose
    Registered Users Posts: 20,174 ✭✭✭✭jimgoose


    I wouldn't worry about it with modern yokes - just charge away as you feel you need to. Having said that computer USB ports tend to charge them quite slowly, which is a good thing if you're in the habit of just leaving it plugged into it most of the day at the office, or wherever.


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