Help Battery Recharging

[goldfinger1234]

Is there a proven method of recharging batteries to ensure long life? I have an HTC One and want to keep it as long as I can before the battery goes dead and have to buy a new device. I have looked online and some recommend draining the battery completely, then giving it a full charge. Some say keep the battery between 40% and 80% and recharge as needed to maintain that. Yet others say charge anytime for as long as you want.


Are all batteries the same and is there a recommended way to recharge them for maximum life?

Dazed and confused

 

[Hadron]

You should not regularly drain the battery - that is bad for the longevity. Any advice that says you should discharge the battery fully is referring to NiCd technology, not Lithium (even if the author thinks they are talking about Lithium, they are really repeating old NiCd advice inappropriately).

Lithium batteries can be charged any time, but I'd not go around topping them up if they are at 90% already. I would aim to charge when it's in the range 25-40%, but the main thing is not to run it down unnecessarily (and I personally don't worry too much as long as I keep to that rule). Keeping it between 40-80% sounds like a recipe for if you plan on storing a battery rather than using it. If I charge a battery I charge it completely when possible (I just stick it on charge overnight most of the time).

The other enemy of battery longevity is heat, so try not to charge it when it's already hot (i.e. gaming while charging is probably not good for the battery in the long term - it will also increase the temperature of the device and cause more thermal throttling, so isn't the best recipe for gaming either ).

 

[safaris]

From what I've heard, the best time to start charging it's when the battery gets to 20%. But as Hadron says, you can basically charge it whenever you want, it shouldn't be a problem for a lithium battery.

 

[goldfinger1234]

Thanks guys. You've been a big help but have some more questions... You mention charging overnight.. Will overcharging harm the battery? Have seen some dire warnings about this issue. Almost every article I've read states cable should be disconnected immediately when fully charged. I like to sleep late and sometimes it must have been overcharged some.


The other thing you mention is overheating. What temp constitutes "hot" or overheated? The hottest I've seen my battery is about 95F which to me isn't really hot. More like warm, imho. "Hot' means exactly that....

I like watching movies on Netflix so I sometimes have to charge while doing so. Is that harmful or doesn't it make that much difference as long as the battery doesn't overheat, whatever temp that might be.


Any really good battery apps out there you can recommend?

Still dazed and confused.