Overcharging your Smartphone: Is it worth?

Smartphone usage has increased drastically over the years and now an indispensable part of our life. The usage has gone so high that it has become like a vital organ of our body. It is hard to find anyone without a smartphone. ’Wherever you go I am there;  Smartphone ( LOL )’.With so much time with in our hands when does it get charged? It does need juice to move on. But it being with us the whole day, when will you plug it in for charging? Yes most of us­ probably might be doing it overnight. A normal cellphone battery requires a charging time of 2-3 hours.( except for those superchargers out there).And we cant expect to lose our phones for that much of time, right? So the time we charge our smartphones has been pushed as while we are sleeping. So we leave it there until morning. But it did concerned most of you whether if it is a good idea. Will it damage your phone? Is it the best method of charging? Will it damage your smartphone? Lets have a look.

 For determining the best Charging method for your smartphone, First you have to identify which battery it packs. Because It is not the smartphone which determine the charging method but the battery type, sure most smartphones have automatic cut off circuits. Each battery type has its own characteristics as by the anodes and cathodes used in it. The Battery can be identified by verifying you user manual or popping the back cover of your phone and find the details embedded on your battery. Dont believe in suggestions by others neglecting  your battery type.

These are the types of batteries found in Smartphones.

·         Lithium Polymer ( Li-Poly ) Battery
 Lithium Ion ( Li-Ion ) Battery
Nickel Cadmium ( NiCd ) Battery
Nickel metal Hybrid ( NiMH ) Battery

Lithium Polymer ( Li-Poly ) Battery – These are the most advanced battery version. This is light weight and helps makes the smartphone slimmer. It packs more battery backup than other batteries. But there are cons as well. It carries a memory effect. ( Memory effect is an effect where the battery tends to remember the charge cycles and tends to perform likewise) If it is charged multiple times, it will remember that cycle and tends to discharge faster. So care should be taken to recharge it only when it is empty and must be charged full at once.

Lithium Ion ( Li-Ion ) Battery – This is the most common form of batteries used in Modern Smartphones. These are costly and is found usually found in almost all smartphones today. These have the most lifetime. It doesn’t require proper caring as it embeds an electronic circuit with the smartphone which controls the discharge and also prevents overcharging. However these are prone to damages if charged more than 24 hours.

Nickel Cadmium ( NiCd ) Battery – These are oldest technology which when compared to Lithium ion, has only disadvantages. These suffer from memory effect and also it should be completely discharged before charging. They also cause pollution while leakage as it consists of non degradable chemicals.

Nickel metal Hybrid ( NiMH ) Battery – These are slightly advanced form of NiCD batteries. These are made environment friendly and have more capacity. Memory effects are reduced in this type. These batteries are required to be discharged once in 20 charge cycles to maintain its performance and increase lifetime.

The best method for your phone should be taken as after considering the type of battery your device packs. Most of our newest smartphones uses Lithium Ion batteries and packs additional circuits which prevents overcharging and sudden discharge. If your phone has a Lithium Ion battery, You have no restrictions in charging. While overcharging through the night , as the battery reaches 100 % the circuit automatically breaks the power towards the battery. It is surely not going to blow up the battery. But the circuit is still exposed to small amount of heat which may damage the battery in the long run. But don’t worry, it is negligible and can be considered as normal wear and tear. Most of us won’t be using a single smartphone for more than 2 years, So the issue is not a concern at all , as people who have been charging overnight for 2.5 years have not encountered any battery problems. But if you need to protect them even from these minute damages, and need to maintain the battery

backup, It is recommended for you to keep the phone battery levels between 60 and 80 % respectively. This is healthy for these type of batteries. And also it is not recommended to discharge the battery completely on these batteries. If charged more often, the battery stays more healthy. Another fact is that is you keep the phone idle for a long time it is recommended to keep the level at 50%.

It is no possible to take care of your smartphone as life becomes busier. So most of you should prefer charging overnight, even though it damage the battery in the long run. And those who want to keep their phone away from any sort of damages and maintain the battery backup throughout the life of the smartphone may follow these.

·        Keep the charge between 60 and 80 % whenever possible
Do not discharge the phone to empty
Not to perform a 0 to 100 % charge in one cycle.

Following these would be exhausting. But fact is fact whether ignored or not.

However, the benefits derived wont be worth the efforts.

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