Shocking debate? The best smartphone battery charging methods

Posted by jffcrmr | 3 comments

Smartphone, laptop, and tablet battery life is a curious thing.  Using both an iPhone and Android device, an iPad, and MacBook Air constantly throughout the day, at least one of the devices is plugged in to recharge the battery at some point during the day.  With so many using similar devices, an interesting question becomes what is the best method for charging the batteries in one’s device(s)?

Personally, my smartphones are charged overnight, making them ready for a day of use when I wake in the morning.  My iPad is charged on an as-needed basis, and my laptop is connected to a charger when I’m using it (most of the day).

According to an article on Mother Jones concerning best battery charging practices,

“The answer is complicated, since it depends on the particular product in question, explains Suzanne Foster Porter of Ecos, a Colorado-based consulting company that works on energy efficiency of battery chargers… modern lithium-ion batteries, the kind in most laptops and cell phones, are generally very good at knowing when a product is fully charged. Porter says that’s because there’s a safety issue: They could actually explode if they become overcharged.

Additional tips from Isidor Buchmann, CEO of Cadex, on charging batteries include:

• The charge-every-day method is also better for the battery than running it down and doing a “deep charge” every once in a while. Daily charging puts less stress on the battery and thus makes it last longer.
• Keep charged devices in rooms that don’t get hotter than 86 degrees Fahrenheit
• Also try not to leave devices in an empty-battery state for too long; this could shorten the battery life.

The advice of Buchmann differs from that of the individual in the video below, who suggests,

“Letting it [a battery] run down to zero at least once per week before plugging it in and charging it up to full is recommended.”

When do you charge the batteries in your electronic devices?  What have you found to be great keys to prolonging battery life?