Take care of your battery: Top 5 reasons to avoid fully charging your smartphone

There is a widespread belief that a smartphone battery does not like to be charged to more than 80%. They say it shortens its service life. Is it true? Let’s take a look.

In an era when technology is penetrating every corner of our daily lives, smartphones occupy a special place.

Most people simply cannot imagine their lives without these devices. Smartphones include our banking applications, messengers and social networks, photos and videos, etc.

Smartphones are not cheap toys. And if you spend money on an expensive model, you will certainly want it to work for a long time. This also applies to the battery’s durability.

A common piece of advice is to never charge your smartphone battery to more than 80% of its capacity to extend its life. But how correct is this recommendation?

Five reasons not to charge your smartphone battery to more than 80%

Let’s look at the five most important aspects of the “80%” statement to determine its validity.

High voltage

Modern smartphones are equipped with lithium-ion batteries, known for their efficiency and ability to hold significant power in a compact size.

However, these batteries are also sensitive to loads, and high voltage levels can be detrimental.

Charging more than 80% puts the battery into a high voltage state, which can lead to deterioration over time.

This is more pronounced in older batteries and less so in newer ones, thanks to improvements in battery management systems. However, even in modern batteries, regular exposure to high voltage leads to a decrease in battery life.

Excessive heat

Excessive heat is a battery’s worst enemy, and charging causes it to generate heat.

When charging your phone over 80%, especially if it is done quickly, the temperature may rise, which accelerates wear and tear.

This factor depends not only on the full charge, but also on environmental conditions, the design of the phone, and the electronic charging control.

One of the reasons why Apple and Samsung are in no hurry to equip their smartphones with super-powerful fast chargers is precisely because of the rapid wear and tear of the battery. Modern Chinese smartphones offer fast charging with a capacity of more than 100 watts. Often, smartphones get very hot when charging in this way.

Charge cycles

Each battery has a certain number of charge cycles (full charge from 0% to 100%) before its capacity begins to decline.

By charging the battery only to 80%, you reduce the load on the battery and increase the total number of cycles before it starts to degrade. This extends the overall battery life.

The risk of battery bloat

Overcharging or continuously charging the battery to full capacity can cause the battery to deflate over time due to the accumulation of gases inside it. This bloating can cause damage to the phone as the battery puts pressure on other internal components, and in extreme cases, it can even pose a safety hazard. Stopping the charge reduces this risk by 80%.

It is believed that battery swelling or bloating is an old problem with nickel-metal hydride batteries. But this is not the case. Even very modern lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries can be prone to swelling.

Smart charging strategy

Adhering to the 80% rule encourages users to adopt healthier charging habits, such as not leaving the phone plugged in overnight and not using it while charging, which can lead to overheating.

These habits contribute to the overall health of the battery, not just by not charging more than 80%.

What else you need to know about charging your smartphone

Manufacturers are not asleep and are trying to help their users cope with the “80%” problem.

For example, Samsung, Apple, and a number of other companies allow you to select a special battery life extension mode in the menu. It allows you to automatically turn off charging when the charge reaches 80-85%.

So, even if you forget to disconnect your smartphone from the charger, the charging process will still automatically stop.

Also, some manufacturers have a setting that slows down charging after reaching 80% overnight and completes it only closer to the moment the user wakes up.

There are also updated battery management systems that regulate voltage and temperature. Some modern smartphones are already able to withstand charging up to 100% without significant negative consequences, essentially refuting the “80% rule.” However, these solutions have not yet become widespread.

In conclusion.

The “80% rule” has strong technical grounds related to the chemical composition of lithium-ion batteries and their sensitivity to stress and heat.

However, with the development of technology, this rule is not a universal directive.

The need to refuse to charge more than 80% depends largely on the specific device, user habits, and the complexity of the phone’s battery management system. To be sure, you can choose a smartphone with advanced battery charging technology or use the smart charging function, if available. Ultimately, the best option is a balanced approach that takes into account both battery health and user convenience.