Battery life expectancy

[smasheroO16]

Hello, techies. Just over two years ago, I bought a brand-new Motorola Moto g22 smartphone, and it has been (and still is) very satisfactory for my simple needs. (It was not an up-to-date model, but at least, it was new.) Today, however, it did not charge up as I expected. It was necessary for me to push the cable in again and switch the charger on again. This worried me, and I started thinking of how long I might reasonably expect the battery to last. The phone is switched on all day (only daytime) and in the afternoons, I use the phone as a router, tethering my desktop Mac to it. The access to Internet is just about passable, but I don't use the Web much, so I am reasonably satisfied with it.

However, I am given to understand that to use my phone in this way (as a router) is very demanding on the battery, and I fear being caught out, one day, by a failed battery. Can anyone tell me how long a battery can be expected to provide reliable power for internet use?

With thanks in anticipation of an informed reply,
S.

 

[Hadron]

Are you sure this wasn't just a bad connection or cable (perhaps due to wear from many connects/disconnects)? Not charging until you reconnect/flick the switch sounds more like a connection issue than a battery failure to me.

The question is really how many charge cycles per day does it do? That's not an easy one to answer, because charging between for example 30% - 80% produces a lot less wear on the battery than charging from say 5% to 100%. How that compares with running constantly with the charger plugged in is even harder to say. But this is the thing that really determines how long it will last (though even then these things vary, with some batteries maintaining capacity for longer than others). Not charging to 100% is generally regarded as a way of extending battery longevity, which is why many newer phones have an option to limit charging to 80% or 85%.

I usually charge once/day (overnight) when a phone is new, after a few years I will sometimes (but not always) find myself topping-up in the evening, and my phones typically last 4.5-5 years. The first sign that the battery is on the way out is usually when it shuts down while still telling you it had 20%, 30% or whatever left (if you boot it up again it will show that it's really flat). Some of that can be calibration, and recharging fully when it does that may improve that for a bit, but in my experience when this starts it's the beginning of the end. (My previous phone, a Pixel 2, signed it's death warrant when it shut down while being used for navigation with 70% remaining.)

 

[Fox Mulder]

It seems like you have two different concerns. The charging difficulties would be a hardware problem, first thing to try is a different cable and/or a different charger. The port on the phone may also have dirt in it, this can usually be removed safely with a blast of canned air ( I wouldn't try sticking anything in the port).
As for the battery life, having the wifi hotspot on all the time will certainly drain it faster although we can't tell you how long it will actually last. It would be best to keep the phone on a charger while doing this assuming you can get it to charge reliably.

edit- Hadron posted while I was typing.

 

[smasheroO16]

Are you sure this wasn't just a bad connection or cable (perhaps due to wear from many connects/disconnects)? Not charging until you reconnect/flick the switch sounds more like a connection issue than a battery failure to me.

The question is really how many charge cycles per day does it do? That's not an easy one to answer, because charging between for example 30% - 80% produces a lot less wear on the battery than charging from say 5% to 100%. How that compares with running constantly with the charger plugged in is even harder to say. But this is the thing that really determines how long it will last (though even then these things vary, with some batteries maintaining capacity for longer than others). Not charging to 100% is generally regarded as a way of extending battery longevity, which is why many newer phones have an option to limit charging to 80% or 85%.

I usually charge once/day (overnight) when a phone is new, after a few years I will sometimes (but not always) find myself topping-up in the evening, and my phones typically last 4.5-5 years. The first sign that the battery is on the way out is usually when it shuts down while still telling you it had 20%, 30% or whatever left (if you boot it up again it will show that it's really flat). Some of that can be calibration, and recharging fully when it does that may improve that for a bit, but in my experience when this starts it's the beginning of the end. (My previous phone, a Pixel 2, signed it's death warrant when it shut down while being used for navigation with 70% remaining.)

Hadron: Thanks for your reply, going into much detail, as you did. Today was the first time that the charger has not worked, so in future, I shall pay more attention to how I plug in the charger. Really, my mention of that was just incidental, just telling what sparked my concern about the life of the battery. That was my main concern. Anyway, I have a general impression that I can afford to keep this phone in use for (say) another two years. After that, I would renew it, whether it was working well, or not. Broadly speaking, my concern has been addressed, so thanks again.
S.

 

[smasheroO16]

It seems like you have two different concerns. The charging difficulties would be a hardware problem, first thing to try is a different cable and/or a different charger. The port on the phone may also have dirt in it, this can usually be removed safely with a blast of canned air ( I wouldn't try sticking anything in the port).
As for the battery life, having the wifi hotspot on all the time will certainly drain it faster although we can't tell you how long it will actually last. It would be best to keep the phone on a charger while doing this assuming you can get it to charge reliably.

edit- Hadron posted while I was typing.

Thank you, Fox Mulder, for your comments. Although the Hotspot is switched on at about 6.30, when I rise, the computer is not switched on until about 2.30 pm, and I quit using it at about 5.30 pm. During that time, my use of a browser is only occasional. So the Web is not used much. However, can you offer an opinion about whether the bare fact of having the Hotspot switched on (without being used until hours afterwards) will make any difference to the life of the battery?

 

[Fox Mulder]

Yes because having the hotspot turned on means the wifi radio in the phone is on and that will draw more power even with no devices connected. How much more is hard to say but anytime you have the individual radios enabled (cell, wifi, Bluetooth, NFC) it will increase battery drain to some degree. Data being passed will increase the drain more.
To find out the actual impact on the battery you would have to try it but as I already stated it would be best to have the phone on a charger while using the hotspot.

 

[smasheroO16]

Yes because having the hotspot turned on means the wifi radio in the phone is on and that will draw more power even with no devices connected. How much more is hard to say but anytime you have the individual radios enabled (cell, wifi, Bluetooth, NFC) it will increase battery drain to some degree. Data being passed will increase the drain more.
To find out the actual impact on the battery you would have to try it but as I already stated it would be best to have the phone on a charger while using the hotspot.

Ah, thanks for that, Fox Mulder. In future, I shall not switch the Hotspot on until I am ready to use it (even though sometimes, I forget to take my phone upstairs to the study, and must go back down for it). When the tethered computer is in use, the phone is always put on the charger.
With appreciation for your help,
S.