They spend all day, every day with us, demanding our attention, running our lives and keeping us on schedule and on track. Smartphones – probably your most-used possession, which is why they need to be given loads of TLC…and be charged properly.
Most of us are probably guilty of using our smartphones until the screen dims and the battery life drops to a near-death 2% before we plug it in. Common mistakes like this can cause your smartphone battery to show signs of decline much earlier in its lifespan than you’d expect.
To help you keep your smartphone’s battery health in check and in top working condition, TCL shared six common mistakes people make when charging their smartphones:
Pushing to the very end: It used to be good for your battery to deplete it completely and deep charge it each time, but that’s not the case with modern smartphones. These little powerhouses prefer to be plugged in sooner and shouldn’t go below about 20% battery life.
Going all the way: No need to wait for your phone to charge to 100%, in fact, you may be reducing the battery’s lifespan by fully charging it every time. You see, a battery has a precise number of charge cycles. Charging your phone to 100% every time means you’ll hit this limit sooner. It’s better to keep your battery charged between 20% and 80% most times.
Overdoing it: Do you plug your phone in at bedtime and leave it to charge for the night? Stop what you’re doing. Although modern smartphones have overcharge protection, it’s still not great for your device (or electricity bill) to do this. This is because the phone will inevitably keep losing and restoring a bit of power while it’s plugged in—potentially reducing its lifespan.
Not giving it some alone time: Using your phone while it’s charging? You might want to avoid doing that. While it is a bit of a controversial subject, some experts do suggest that charging your phone can cause the charging speed to drop or cause the battery to heat up, which can reduce its longevity.
Leaving the case on: While it is always advisable to use a phone case, it is not the best idea to leave it on while charging, as it could trap heat, which is bad for the battery’s long term health.
Going cheap: Tempting as it is to want to buy the cheap and cheerful, third-party cable and adapter, try not to. Rather spend the extra cash on an official charger from your manufacturer or get one from a reputable third-party charger manufacturer, as the cheap ones could harm your battery and therefore impact the lifespan of your battery.
