Bad Habits of Phone Charging: How Your Battery Gets “Killed”

In today’s digital age, phones have become an indispensable part of our lives. However, many people may not realize that some common charging habits can accelerate battery aging. This article will reveal the principles behind these bad habits in a popular science manner and provide some simple and practical phone battery care tips.

I. Does Charging Your Phone Overnight Harm the Battery?

• Principle Explanation: Many users are accustomed to charging their phones overnight. Although this is convenient, it can be quite harmful to the battery life. Most smartphones currently use lithium-ion batteries, which store and release energy through chemical reactions. Long-term charging keeps the battery in a high-voltage state, accelerating the aging of the chemical substances inside the battery. For example, a study shows that charging a lithium-ion battery at a high voltage for 8 hours continuously can increase the battery capacity decay rate by about 20% compared to normal charging methods.
• Scene Description: Imagine that you plug your phone into the charger before going to bed so that you can use it directly when you wake up the next day. You think this is very convenient, but in fact, the phone has already been fully charged in the middle of the night, but it remains in a charging state, with the battery operating under high load continuously.

II. Why Does Using Your Phone While Charging Cause Overheating?

• Principle Explanation: Using your phone while charging is a common habit for many users, especially when playing large games or watching videos. In this case, the phone’s processor and screen are both in a high-load operating state, and the charger is also continuously supplying power to the battery. The heat generated by the three components overlapping causes the internal temperature of the phone to rise sharply. Generally, the safe operating temperature range for batteries is 0℃ to 45℃. When the phone overheats, the chemical reactions inside the battery accelerate, causing more gas to be produced inside the battery, which further exacerbates battery expansion and aging.
• Scene Description: You may have had such an experience: while playing a game on your phone, you plug it into the charger. After a few minutes, the phone starts to heat up, even becoming too hot to hold. This is because when the phone is charging, the chemical reactions inside the battery and the high-load operation of the processor both generate heat, causing the phone’s temperature to rise rapidly.

III. Does Fast Charging Accelerate Battery Aging?

• Principle Explanation: The emergence of fast charging technology has greatly improved the charging efficiency of phones, but it has also raised concerns about battery life. Fast charging accelerates the charging speed by increasing the charging current or voltage. However, inputting a large amount of electrical energy into the battery in a short time can impact the chemical substances inside the battery. Research shows that frequent use of fast charging can cause the structure of the electrode materials inside lithium-ion batteries to gradually change, accelerating battery aging. For example, compared to regular charging, the capacity decay rate of a battery used with fast charging every day may be about 15% higher after one year.
• Scene Description: You may often choose the fast charging function due to time constraints, hoping that your phone can be quickly charged in a short time. However, while frequent use of fast charging meets your time requirements, it may come at the cost of reduced battery life.

IV. How to Properly Maintain Your Phone Battery?

• Maintain a Suitable Temperature: Try to avoid using your phone in high or low-temperature environments. Extreme temperatures can adversely affect the chemical reactions inside the battery. For example, charging in a high-temperature environment above 45℃ can shorten the battery life by about 30%. Therefore, it is recommended to use your phone in a room temperature environment of around 25℃.
• Avoid Overcharging and Deep Discharging: Develop good charging habits. Do not wait until your phone’s battery is completely drained before charging, and do not leave your phone plugged in for extended periods. It is generally recommended to start charging when the battery level is around 20% and stop charging when it reaches 80% to 90%. This can effectively extend the battery’s cycle life.
• Choose the Right Charger and Data Cable: Using a standard-compliant charger and data cable is crucial for the battery life of your phone. Non-standard chargers may cause voltage instability and excessive current, which can damage the battery. Original chargers are usually rigorously designed and tested to provide a stable charging environment for your phone.
• Although fast charging is convenient, it is recommended to minimize its use to extend battery life. For example, reserve fast charging for emergencies and use regular charging mode under normal circumstances.
• Calibrate Battery Level Regularly: Every once in a while (e.g., once a month), completely drain your phone’s battery and then recharge it to full. This helps the battery management system more accurately estimate the battery level and improves battery efficiency.