Is charging the mobile at night bad or good? Depends. Due to our current lifestyle, running out of mobile battery has become one of the main fears that we face every day. That is why it is very common for many people to take advantage of the moment of going to sleep to fully charge the battery of their phones and, thus, start the new day with 100% energy.
There are many theories and myths about how and how long it takes to charge various electronic devices, such as mobile phones or laptops. These doubts can generate confusion among users and consumers.
ButIs it good to charge the mobile overnight? Does it pose a risk to the health of your smartphone?
Is charging the mobile at night bad or good? We explain it in detail
If you have a smartphone, it is very likely that you will have to charge it very often: every day or every other day.
The first mobiles they were designed with batteries that, despite their large size, were not entirely efficient. They were made primarily of nickel cadmium (NiCd) or nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and suffered from a problem known as 'memory effect', which reduced its capacity when the user loaded them without them having fully discharged.
Nowadays new generation batteries with which your smartphone surely has (made with Lithium polymer (LiPo), have a smaller size and greater capacity and autonomy. In addition, mobile phones currently have intelligent mechanisms that paralyze the flow of energy that enters when they detect that the phone has been charged to 100%.
Therefore, contrary to what you may think at first, Leaving the mobile plugged into the mains for the whole night does not, in principle, cause any harm to your device.
Does the type of charger influence?
There are currently three types of chargers on the market. To get the best performance from your mobile battery, you must know the differences between them.
- Standard charge. If you are not going to use the mobile for a long period of time, such as at night while you sleep, it is best to use a standard charger. Charging your smartphone “slower” will help extend battery life.
- Quick charge. Fast-charging chargers have more voltage than standard ones, which means that your mobile needs less time to reach 100% battery. Abusing this type of charge could reduce the maximum capacity of the battery in the long term.
- Wireless charging. With this type of device, the phone is charged electromagnetically without the need for a cable, although for this your mobile must be compatible with this type of charge. The biggest advantage is, without a doubt, its comfort, but this system is less energy efficient since part of the energy is lost as heat.
battery cycles
A battery cycle is complete when you fully charge the phone from the start to 100%. Did you know that, on average, a mobile phone battery supports between 300 and 500 charge cycles? From this figure, the performance of your smartphone's battery decreases, so it is no longer able to tolerate the same energy it had when you bought it. For this reason it is very important that you try to load it correctly to try to extend its useful life.
How do I know how many charging cycles my mobile accumulates?
Regrettably, not all smartphones allow you to see charging cycles. In the case of Android, there is still no function that counts these cycles.
However, There are applications that carry out this process and that can be easily downloaded for free. iOS does have, on the contrary, a function for this, located in the 'Privacy' section of the device.
Furthermore, the company Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), He leaves us a guide to take care of the batteries of his devices where they explain what advice we should take into account.
Tips to keep your battery healthy
Now that you know that your smartphone will not be damaged when charging it at night, we recommend that you also follow these five tips to maximize the health of your battery:
- Calibrate the battery. This way you will be able to know exactly what is the remaining percentage of energy that it has and you will avoid wasting charging cycles in vain. If you want to know how to calibrate your mobile phone battery We tell you in the previous link.
- Keep the charge between 20 and 80%. If you keep the mobile between these levels, the battery will suffer much less wear than if you keep it above or below. Many smartphones already have a charge 'limiter' function, so you can set the maximum percentage you want it to reach. Once that limit is reached, charging stops. In the most current models the charge stops when it reaches 100 percent and keeping them plugged in doesn't harm your battery, at least that's what a study by the Battery University.
- Use original chargers whenever you can. Although it sounds cliché or seems obvious, using the included charger is the most advisable. If you need to buy a new one, do not forget to check that the voltage and amperage coincide with that of the original device.
- Try to do not overheat the battery. Temperature is the number one enemy of electronic components. Heavy and continuous use, exposure to the sun, and other factors that cause the battery to rise in temperature can damage the battery and shorten its life. To do this, follow these recommendations: avoid, as much as possible, that the increase in temperature exceeds the levels recommended by the manufacturer. There are all kinds of applications and programs that allow you to see the internal and external temperature of your device which will help you get excessive heat which is bad for battery life.
- Plug the charger into an outlet. It is possible to charge the mobile through a USB socket of portable batteries and computers, but it is much more advisable to do it in a socket. The stability provided by the electrical network is superior to that generated by the previous devices.
- The first load is as important as the rest. A veces
- Let the mobile rest while it is charging and do not use it. Believe it or not, using your phone while it's charging can affect battery life, even on the latest models. Experts recommend leaving your phone unused while it's plugged in. Thus, you guarantee that it lasts much longer and that the charges are complete.