By Aidan Valenzano
For years the question of do I plug my phone in? Has plagued scientists mind for nearly four years now. In this article I will tell you the good and bad that comes with overcharging your phone, as well as my stance on it.
In today’s world our phones are actually smart phones. Once fully charged they will stop the current coming in, to make sure it does not damage the battery. Since most phone batteries are lithium ion batteries the only real threat to overcharging your phone is if you do it in a plan. A change in pressure can cause serious damage to the batteries. One of the only things that can damage your phone battery is heat, which can be generated if the device is left charging to long. Normal lithium ion packs found in phones today generally don’t like to be too cold, or too hot.
Generally good chargers give out the best charge at around 32 degrees Celsius, which is the same at which a lithium battery receives charge. To help relate this to you let’s use an example, your phone. When you are going to bed most people plug their phones in overnight so that they have full battery life for the next day. What you probably did not know is that by doing this you can be harming your phone’s battery life, and power. The best heat for a lithium ion pack is 32 degrees Celsius but, they can still receive charge at 42 degrees Celsius.
What you don’t know is that once your phone has reached maximum charge potential and is still plugged in is when the problems to your battery can occur. Once your battery is fully charged and a current is still running through it, the battery tries to expand to take more charge in. The way it does this is by making heat so that the battery uses the energy form the capacity to take more of the current coming. The problems however come when your phone can not make any more heat and is constantly fed the electricity from the current.
Though there are some ways to avoid your phone from overheating and damaging its battery. Some of the easiest ways are to buy chargers from the manufacturer themselves. The regular store bought batteries cannot get enough charge, or the right amount of charge to your device. Another way to help your phone is to lay it out on a hard flat surface so that the heat, has an easier time spreading out of your phone. The other thing about cell phones is charge cycles. A charge cycle is how often you charge your phone. An example is using half of a charged battery then charging it and using half again, this is one charge cycle. Batteries in your phone only have a limited amount of charge cycles. If you see your phone dying quickly, or not turning on at all your battery has surpassed its max amount of charge cycles. To avoid this charge your battery in short bursts throughout the day, and rarely let it go from zero to one hundred.
In conclusion over charging your phone, is not the way to destroy your battery. The ways to destroy your battery consist of heat and charge cycles. To ensure maximum battery life safety always charge your phone on a flat, hard surface to allow for heat to escape. As well as to keep your device charging in spurts throughout the day, and to never let it drop from zero to one-hundred.
In conclusion it is okay to keep charging your phone overnight.
Work cited
Roseberry, C. (n.d.). What Happens If a Laptop Battery Is Overcharged? Retrieved May 17, 2017, from https://www.lifewire.com/overcharging-laptop-battery-causes-life-span-to-decrease-2378126
- (2015, October 29). How Does Overcharging Kill the Battery of your Smartphone. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from https://gadgetstouse.com/gadget-tech/overcharging-kill-battery-smartphone/21380
Hill, S. (2015, June 25). Should you leave your smartphone plugged into the charger overnight? We asked an expert. Retrieved May 17, 2017, from https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/expert-advice-on-how-to-avoid-destroying-your-phones-battery/
Is it safe to charge my phone overnight? Top tips to extend battery life. (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2017, from http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132587-is-it-safe-to-charge-my-phone-overnight-top-tips-to-extend-battery-life
- (2016, July 21). Should I leave my phone plugged in overnight? Retrieved May 17, 2017, from http://www.androidauthority.com/leave-phone-plugged-overnight-703078
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