These are scientifically-based methods to prevent battery failure based on the characteristics of lithium-ion batteries.

Immortal battery

Battery failure is a nightmare for users of electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops… There are also many instructions on how to use smartphones to prolong battery life, but most of these instructions require turning off this feature or removing that application. As a result, users will not receive the full power that their smartphone brings.

Instead of the above instructions, PhoneArena provides some characteristics and tests of lithium-ion batteries. From there, it provides practical advice and courses to protect the battery.

Characteristics of lithium-ion batteries

1. Charging voltage affects battery life

According to experimental data, when charging a battery that can withstand a maximum voltage of 4.2V, the battery will have a usage cycle of 300 – 500 times and the efficiency will reach 100% if charged with the correct voltage of 4.2V.

Relationship between charging voltage, usage cycles and battery performance.

In the case of charging with a lower voltage (4.1V), the battery will achieve 600 – 1,000 usage cycles but the efficiency will only reach 90%.

In the case of charging with an even lower voltage (4V), the usage cycles increase to 1,000 – 2,000 and the efficiency will decrease to 80%.

Similarly, in the case of 3.92V, it is 2,400 – 4,000 cycles and 75% efficiency.

2. The Relationship Between Discharge and Battery Capacity

Your battery will last longer if you charge it more often and avoid full discharge. The table below shows the battery cycles corresponding to different discharge levels before the battery capacity is reduced by 30%.

Relationship between battery discharge rate and usage cycle.

For example, if you regularly discharge your phone battery to 0%, it will only go through 300 – 500 cycles before it is reduced to 70% of its storage capacity. Conversely, if you charge your battery regularly, it will serve you longer.

Tips

1. Charge more often than fully

Instead of charging to 100% every time, you should only charge to a certain level, for example from 30% to 60% or 45% to 79%. This is a bit of a hassle since you have to charge it multiple times a day, but it can help extend the battery life.

2. Don’t drain the battery completely

Always keep some energy in the battery instead of draining it to 0% and then recharging it. That energy can help manage the cells in the battery while waiting for the user to plug in the charger.

3. Batteries work best at 40%

The best state of a lithium-ion battery is when it has 40% of its energy left. That is also why batteries in devices that have just left the factory usually contain 40% – 50% of their energy.

4. Avoid extreme temperatures

Batteries can lose up to 80% of their operating capacity if left at 60 degrees Celsius for a year, while at 20 degrees Celsius the corresponding capacity loss is only 20%. Similarly, extremely low temperatures such as in a freezing environment are also bad for the battery’s lifespan.

5. Do not let the battery run out of energy for too long

Normally, lithium-ion batteries will be in a state of energy depletion if they fall to a voltage of 3V/cell. At 2.7V/cell, the protection circuit will automatically switch the battery to sleep mode, causing it to lose its ability to charge over time.

Therefore, during use or when you want to store the battery, you also need to pay attention to the recommended good capacity level of 40%.