How to charge your smartphone for the first time

How to properly charge the smartphone. busting myths

Many users are convinced that in order to charge your smartphone, you need to wait for it to be fully discharged, and you must always charge to 100%, and no other way. Today the online store Stylus will destroy the myths about charging modern smartphones with lithium-ion batteries, which behave quite differently.

Do I need to fully discharge the battery iPhone

Even now on the Internet you can find a lot of advice that the first time the battery should be completely discharged, then charge to 100% and then repeat several more such cycles to “rock the battery”. If you don’t do this, supposedly the battery capacity will be less. In fact, this myth has its roots in nickel-metal hydride batteries, which were installed on old phones. They really could not operate at full capacity from the beginning.

These batteries are a thing of the past. Today’s lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries originally have full capacity. Therefore, it makes no sense to completely discharge and charge them.

Rechargeable batteries and their varieties

There are several basic types of batteries that are used in the manufacture of mobile devices:

The first two types, nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries, were used on older push-button phones. The very same ones that were produced many years ago, which, unlike today’s smartphones, were primarily a means of communication.

These types of batteries were known for their reliability, but they had drawbacks. One of them is so called “memory effect” which means reversible capacity loss which can be caused by violating recommended charging mode, for example if you start charging the battery before it is fully discharged. With time such batteries really need to be “pumped up”. That’s when information about “pumping” the battery, including for a newly purchased device, appeared.

But times are changing, technology is improving. If previously nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries were used, nowadays lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries are used. They are used everywhere, including in smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.д. Such batteries are notable for high power, safety, relatively small size. Besides, they have almost no “memory effect”, which we mentioned above, and therefore they do not need any special charging cycles.

What does it mean? Which means that if your device works with a lithium-ion or lithium-polymer battery, charge it in the most normal way, without resorting to the manipulation described in the tips above.

However, if you do take advice from some forum, it is unlikely that anything will change.

How to charge your new smartphone

Do you know what is the main problem of all modern smartphones without exception?? Low battery life. Chances are you’ve encountered it more than once. And now just imagine that your hands make your new phone work more than usual. To do this, you only need to know how to properly charge your new smartphone. And that’s exactly what we will talk about in the technoblog Funduk.ua.

Before we start talking about how to charge your smartphone, let’s understand what kind of batteries are used in modern devices. Most often it’s one of four types of batteries:

Nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries. the lot of older smartphones and cell phones, they are practically not used in new models. These batteries have a so-called “memory effect”, so you should think a few times about whether or not to take such a device. Much better to choose a device with a more advanced lithium-ion or lithium-polymer battery. First, they have no memory effect, so they are much less demanding to follow the charging rules Second, they have a higher capacity in an extremely compact size and weight, they deliver high power and are safe to use.

The only thing worth considering is the fact that lithium batteries are sensitive to low temperatures, so do not leave them under air conditioning, or carry them in the winter long in the hands or the outside s of jackets / backpacks. Preferably in interior s or insulated cases/pouches.

And lithium batteries do not benefit from overheating, just like any other battery. So you don’t want to leave your device in direct sunlight or near a heating pad.

If you follow this rule while using it, all you need to do is to make sure that the device is charged correctly, so that it can serve you as long, high-quality, and efficient as possible.

How to charge a new lithium battery properly?

The secret of correct operation throughout the time of use lies in the first charging of the smartphone. Do you need to fully discharge your new smartphone before the charging process? Yes! The first thing you should do after buying a mobile device is to discharge it completely, and then charge it up to 100%. After what to remove the device from the charger. That way you calibrate your device to get the most out of its battery and the status indicator to get the most out of the displayed information.

It’s definitely not a good idea to charge or discharge them on a daily basis. Critical charge levels of zero or 100% are not very useful for lithium batteries, so try not to discharge them completely. It is better to charge the device when it has 5-10% of charge or when the phone system gives a message about the need to connect the charger. This feature is available in most mobile devices today, including even budget-priced models.

In addition you should make sure that the device does not overheat while charging, as it directly affects the decrease of battery capacity. You can see how exactly on the table below.

For the same reason you should not actively use the various functions of your device or make calls during the charging process.

Another important tip is to use only quality chargers. without physical damage, fractures and abrasions. You should remove your device from the charger as soon as it has regained power.

Leaving the device on the charger after it has filled up 100% of its battery capacity will cause it to be out of calibration each time, and you will need to calibrate it again to see the correct information.

If you have done so far wrong or suddenly accidentally forgot to remove the phone from the charger, do not be alarmed. you should recalibrate through a charge-discharge cycle. By the way, such cycles should be repeated every two or three months to update the calibration, forcing the smartphone and its sensors to work with greater efficiency. For the rest of the time the experts recommend to keep the charge level at 40-70%.

And one last piece of advice. If you go somewhere and want to leave your device in the turned on state (but in complete idleness, that is, in standby mode), it is worth to leave in its battery about 50% of the energy. In this case, its performance will last much longer than with any other indicator.

All these rules apply not only to the use of a stationary power adapter, but also to the use of mobile batteries (paverbanks), as well as charging a mobile device from a USB port of a computer or laptop.

So, now you know exactly how to charge your smartphone battery for the first time and how to do it during further use. So your device will be able to work longer than usual, without unnecessary waste of your nerves in a critical situation.

Answers to common questions

Since the topic is quite extensive, we’ve collected all the frequently asked questions and are ready to answer them.

Is fast charging harmful?

Fast charging does not seem to damage the battery significantly, since Quick Charge regulates the current flow. But during fast charging the smartphone heats up, and this is harmful for the battery. So using rapid charging on a regular basis is not recommended.

Can a Battery Explode

Lithium polymer batteries are completely safe. But with lithium-ion batteries, on the other hand, explosions have been reported in very rare cases. To be safer, manufacturers are now making such batteries from dry electrolyte rather than liquid electrolyte, which is easily flammable. To be on the safe side, don’t leave your smartphone charging in direct sunlight, and don’t expose the processor to extreme heat.

Is it true that games are bad for your battery

If your smartphone model is equipped with a powerful processor and has a built-in cooling system, you can play demanding games without problems. The battery suffers only when the phone overheats a lot because of games.

Does the battery need to be calibrated

You can periodically perform this procedure, but it is not included in the list of mandatory. If the phone holds a good charge, calibrate the battery no more than once every two to three months.

We have discussed how to properly charge your Xiaomi phone after purchase and in subsequent times. We hope that our tips will extend the battery life of your smartphone.

How to charge your smartphone for the first time?

Already have some idea of how to properly charge a new battery. Now we need to understand the additional recommendations to make the battery life longer. It should be understood that Li-Ion and Li-Polymer batteries do not have a fixed service life. Phone batteries start to die gradually, losing their life. Depends on temperature conditions, frequency of charging, loads, and usage conditions.

• Do not use the phone in the sun or cold, sticking to normal temperature conditions;
• By refusing to overload the device and ultra-fast discharges;
• not charging the battery to 100%, it’s better to keep the charge around 75%;
• Not using powerful applications;
• avoiding overheating of the device, especially important for motorists who use the smartphone as a navigator.

Even the most careful and attentive approach will not protect the battery from natural wear and tear. After a season of smartphone use, the battery capacity will be reduced by 20%.

How to check the wear and tear on the battery, you can read here.

turn off charging

Often users put their smartphones on the charger and forget to unplug the charger from the socket, leaving the device until morning. On average it takes 3-4 hours for the phone battery to be fully charged. The mobile device then continues to maintain its maximum charge level, causing the battery to deteriorate and capacity to decrease. This method negatively affects the operating time of your phone.

As soon as you fully charge the phone. immediately unplug it from the charger. Also, the phone will charge faster when it is completely turned off, because when it is at rest, it does not have to use energy to run apps, other mobile functions, and the screen.

Popular myths about battery charging

We’ve already talked about the fact that there’s a lot of advice circulating on the web about how to properly charge the battery on your new phone, many of which fall into the category of myths. And some are incorrect from the beginning, while others have lost relevance due to the evolution of phone batteries. Here we go.

Need to discharge your new phone to 0%

Myth, which arose incomprehensibly. Any battery does not like the full discharge, if you exploit the smartphone in this mode, after a year you will have to use the charger more than once a day. There is a rule of thumb that a battery that is not new should be charged to 95% and not allowed to discharge more than 30% of its nominal capacity. The only exception is the calibration procedure. It is not done more often than in 6 to 12 months. The purpose of such a full discharge is to synchronize the system information about the battery stored in the phone with the actual charge readings.

It is recommended that you remove the case from your phone while it is charging

The battery should be charged to 100% once, without interruptions

Also not a correct statement. According to numerous studies, charging the battery several times a day while keeping the charge level between 45-90 will minimize the degradation of the device. Of course, we are not talking about the first charging of the phone.

It is inadmissible to use a smartphone while it is charging

The first charging should be done at night

Not true, as well as rumors that it is necessary to properly charge the battery on a new phone for 10 hours. The rule is simple. try to turn off charging when the charge level reaches 100%, and it applies to both lithium-ion and polymer batteries.

And the last tip concerns li-ion batteries, which are the most massive on modern smartphones: full charge/discharge cycles are harmful for them, and partial recharging is useful, prolonging the life of the device.

I wonder how many of our readers followed these recommendations when charging a new smartphone for the first time? We anticipate a heated discussion on this topic. The only thing that can be said on this subject. the average user has no way to check the validity of any advice, right and wrong. We are left to rely on expert research.