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Cell phone battery question

20 years ago

I am on my second battery for my cell phone. The first one lasted a little more than a year.

Is it better to always make sure your phone is charged, meaning that if there are 2 or 3 bars, charge the phone? Or is it better to let the battery run down to 1 bar and then charge it? Or does it not make a difference on how long the battery will last?

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Comments (7)

western_pa_luann
20 years ago
We always go to deplete or near depletion, then charge. Our batteries always last the two years, then we get new phones.

Oh, and if you car-charge, do not start the engine with the phone hooked to the charger.
marie26
Original Author
20 years ago
western pa luann wrote "Oh, and if you car-charge, do not start the engine with the phone hooked to the charger."

Why not?
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This isn't a phone brand issue ... this is a battery issue. I've had a Macbook battery that did a partial melt ... my ipad battery is having issues ... my sister had a macbook battery that also charred ... so you should all probably get rid of your Apple products too! My son was also recently having battery issues with his Google phone overheating. Again, this is a battery technology issue. My husband is into remote control planes and he charges most of his batteries in special heat/explosion resistant containers. Just the nature of the technology. I'll continue to buy ipads and I'll continue to buy Samsung phones. My son will probably buy another Google phone. When you look at the total number of phones that have sold worldwide, the number of defective products is very small. I even owned the infamous Samsung Note 7, mine had no issues, but were still recalled. I've owned the Samsung Galaxy 7 without issues and will probably upgrade soon to a Note 9 or Galaxy 10, or wait for the Note 10 later this year.
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Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
20 years ago
I think (and I know other people who came to the same conclusion) that batteries wear out a lot faster if charged in the car.
western_pa_luann
20 years ago
If the phone and charger are plugged in and you start the engine, the battery receives a sort of power surge that ruins it over time. (So the VW rep said - and many people I know have proved it true!).
steve_o
20 years ago
Many people also buy third-party (i.e., cheap) car chargers which often lack the stabilization circuitry that prevents voltage spikes like that. I have no problem with third-party cases or even headsets, but I won't stray from OEM chargers and batteries.
cynic
20 years ago
The amount of charge left before charging affecting the life depends on the type of battery. Some will develop what they call a "memory" where, for instance if you only use 50% of the battery, will eventually only give you 50% life. However the better batteries do not have this problem. Check the type of battery you have.

Here is a link that might be useful: More info...
greatlakesmower
19 years ago
NiCD batteries, the older ones, had the memory issue. For those, its better to run them down as far as you can before charging or else their cycles become shorter. The newer batteries, NiMH, do not have a memory issue. However, they have a limited amount of times that they can be charged before they die completely. So, again, they will last longer if you run them down before charging. IMO, NiMH is still better, however, because the amount of time between charges does not decrease.

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