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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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It depends on the phone and the carriers. There's a number of different types of service out there too. For instance different carriers use different frequencies (CDMA, PCS, GSM, etc) SIM cards are suggestive of GSM technology used by Tmo and ATT. If you're looking to use prepaid service you can sometimes use the phones but won't always have all the features. If you're looking for a contract service, then as cautioned before, beware of costs to change. Often the smallest thing will extend your contract. For instance, if you get a new phone, you generally get a new (extended) contract with hefty cancellation fees. You'll have to get more info from the companies, but generally speaking, Tmo will not be interchangeable with Virgin and Verizon. Tmo & AT&T are more likely to be options. Probably not answering your question, but not an easy question to answer!
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Joann, I don't have one of those, but when I dropped my land line, I had the same thoughts. I don't have mine on me all the time. Honest, it is ok, not to! :) Just think, you didn't have your land line on you all the time either. At home, I have a shelf my phone lives on. At work, it stays in my back pack. While riding my bike, it is in a small pack that hangs on my bike. When in the back yard, it is in a basket, unless I wear something with a pocket. Of course, it is in my purse when I take it along. While driving it is on the shelf between the front seats. :) Hope this helps. Moni
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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
20 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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