Battery Recharging in New Phones/Tablets

Dreadnought

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Hi all,

I've recently bought a new tablet and cell phone, and one important thing I'm focusing on is extending the battery lifetime as long as possible. To that effect, I've only recharged the battery when it is completely empty, and always charge it to 100% before unplugging it again.

However, I just heard it may be better to always keep the battery in the 50-80% range at all times. According to that theory, I should recharge the battery whenever it gets below half, not when it is completely empty.

I've also heard that batteries are advanced enough now that you don't need to worry about specifics in charging it -- just charge it when it's low, for as long as you can.

What's the best way to keep the battery healthy for the longest possible time?
 
I think now-a-days it really doesn't matter. It was a case of more basic rechargables never being able to get fully charged again. I am sure development is past this. Best just charge it full over night.

I suppose if you are superstitious.. now and then, do allow it to drain completely before recharging.
 
To that effect, I've only recharged the battery when it is completely empty, and always charge it to 100% before unplugging it again.

Don't do that, you're hurting the battery.

Don't worry about it, like Boundless said, the easiest thing to do is just to charge it overnight, there aren't really any smartphones that last more than a day anyway.

Batteries are pretty much a consumable good in any case, when it can't hold enough charge, it will probably be time for a new phone, but otherwise, just buy a new battery.
 
Battery life varies depending on make/model - my Nokia smartphone last for days, whilst my old Motorola "feature" phone before that struggled to last a day or two.
 
If your smart phone last a few days, you're using it in a manner that suggests you don't need a smart phone.
 
If your smart phone last a few days, you're using it in a manner that suggests you don't need a smart phone.
Sorry, no. I'm using it as a remote control right now as it happens. Earlier I was using it to do development work with - yes, clearly someone who doesn't need a smartphone, I only write apps for one.

I can use it for various usage such as Internet, GPS/maps, other apps throughout the day, without it adversely affecting my experience. I'm not really sure what you're getting at - obviously if one uses a phone for hours on end, the battery will wear down. But we're not all glued to Facebook on our phones all day - so it's still relevant to look at what the battery life is when you're not running constantly at 100%.

But who knows - perhaps it is all phones have the same level of battery life, and the only reason some people charge every day is because they use them constantly for hours on end playing videos or whatever? But then, my own experience is that phones aren't equal in this regard - as I say, my old phone had poorer battery life, even though it was far less powerful. So I wonder, what sort of life do people get when not being used so intensely? (I suspect there's also variations in software - based on my experience, one useful piece of advice is don't leave poorly written apps running all the time in the background that hog battery power even when idle.)

You make the odd assumptions that (a) because I make this comment about phones, it means I don't use it, and (b) even if I didn't use every day, I apparently have no need of a smartphone at all - sorry, both are wrong :) Indeed, it's only the "smart" part of a phone I use, rarely do I use a phone for actually phoning people. I've only got more interested in phones since they turned into general purpose computers about 10 or more years ago, and have become increasingly powerful since.
 
I can't imagine ever browsing the internet on my phone for more than 30 minutes a day...
 
I can't imagine ever browsing the internet on my phone for more than 30 minutes a day...

Imagine you drive but abaddon doesn't. You take him to a doctor's appointment. You have a bit of time to waste, why not read wikipedia!
 
I heard that after charging to a 100%, your phone tries to discharge about 10% of the battery because 90% is better for the battery or something on those lines.
 
To keep the battery healthy.You must keep charging you cell phone once in a day.don't charge the phone for much time.When battery of your mobile becomes full.Then switch off the electricity button and take your cell phone.


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What model Nokia?

I can't think of anything modern that has enough battery for "days" of normal use.

Last Symbian model:


Odd. My N8 sometimes lasts up to four days even if I use it all the time. Sometimes lasts for less than a day. My habits do not change so I simply go with it.
 
It was the Nokia 5800.

I recently upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which has poorer battery life, though still good enough to be reasonable (and nowhere near as bad as my Motorola 3G "feature" phone). So I still stand by my statement that battery life can vary depending on make/model.

That graph shows continual use - obviously I don't mean days of continual use. Few people use their phone 100% continuously. That chart only has two Nokia models, both of which are at the top end anyway (and Symbian^1 could well be less power hungry than Symbian^3).

Not that it should change the point - however much you use the phone, it's still true that battery life varies quite a bit across phones, as that chart shows. But there are many different ways that people use smartphones - just because I don't use it for hours on end every single day doesn't mean there is no point having one.
 
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