3 Confusing Questions About Charging Smartphones Answered

Over 3.5 billion people around the world are in possession of a smartphone. That’s almost half of the population of the earth producing a small computer and a lithium-ion battery! The need to stay connected is more important now than it has ever been. 

However, one aspect of smartphone technology that still leaves plenty to be desired is battery life. We might have connectivity on the go, but there is no smartphone that won’t eventually need charging some time throughout the day. As such, we carry around chargers and powerbanks. 

However, there are a lot of misconceptions about lithium-ion batteries and charging out there. To that end, we’ve created this article to make sense of these misunderstandings and to bring the real facts to light. 

Can I charge my phone overnight?

This misunderstanding stems from a different type of battery that is no longer widely-used, called the Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Battery. This type of battery was prone to overcharging. 

The beautiful thing about modern power production standards and lithium-ion batteries is that safeguards have been put into place to prevent overcharging. As such, it is perfectly fine to leave your phone overnight. Once your phone hits 100%, it stops charging. Only when it drops back to less than its maximum does it start to charge up again. 

What you need to worry about, however, is slight overheating. While the heat will never reach a level where it can set things on fire, it might degrade the other components of your phone over time. As such, it is important to keep the phone in a cool place and to remove it from the case when you’re charging. 

This applies to the batteries in laptops and to powerbanks as well. 

Shouldn’t I let my phone drain fully before charging?

This is a myth that again stems from older battery technology. NiMH batteries tended to develop a “memory” of sorts. Not allowing it to fully drain essentially degrades the battery’s total power capacity over time, making battery life shorter and shorter. 

This is not the case in modern lithium-ion batteries in smartphones, laptops, tablets, and powerbanks. Lithium ion batteries prefer a different charging range: from 50 to 80% instead of a full drain. Letting a lithium battery go down to zero is actually terrible for battery life and can reduce its effectiveness over time. 

Should I use only the chargers from my brand?

Nowadays, there are plenty of off-brand chargers out there especially since these devices are easier to charge now more than ever. That does not mean, however, that you should try to save money with budget chargers. More often than not, these chargers are not rated for their safety and may cause damage to your phone over time. 

However, that does not mean that all third-party chargers are bad. In fact, some are terrific and able to provide you with high-quality products you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. You just need to make sure that you buy from a trusted and reliable brand. Essentially, you get what you pay for. 

Final thoughts

Technology is constantly evolving. As such, it is important to sift through what’s true and what’s false so you can take better care of your devices. This can help you spend less and make more out of every penny you spend on connectivity.

If you’re looking for powerbanks to help you get through your day, send us at Chargeasap a message. We are currently in the middle of a Black Friday sale, and everything on our website is 50% off for a limited time.