Why isn't your smartphone fully charged at the time of unboxing? - Top 5 battery myths busted

Every time you boot up a new smartphone, you may have noticed the battery percentage; It is not 100%. Why is it so?

There are a lot of reasons behind it. First, Smartphones are mass produced. Fully charging the batteries of those phones  consumes a lot of time and power. This won't be economic for the company. So they charge the smartphones only upto a certain limit making sure the batteries don't die during shipping. This saves both time and power.

Another reason is: Loss of power during shipping and storage. Today's smartphones have lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries which losses charge with time. Most companies have their factories in China and world wide supply is done from there. After those smartphones leave factory, they are shipped throughout the world which takes few weeks to few months. You might never know how long your smartphone has been sitting on the retailers or warehouses before you buy them. This time is a lot for Li-ion or Li-poly batteries to lose noticeable amount of charge. 

Now let's bust some battery myths!

You might have heard many people saying you should charge your new smartphone for 6-7 hours before using it for first time because it didn't get any charge for past few weeks or even few months. This is a common myth many users believe in. But as I said, this thing is only just a "MYTH" . The reality is that your phone is capable for working right after unboxing if it has adequate amount of charge. But it is good to have a top-up charge before any heavy uses.  But charging for 6-7 hours, definitely not. Today's modern smartphones have auto power cut system that cuts off the power as soon as the battery reaches 100%. In some smartphones, the battery percentage drops to 99 and again charge to 100. This cycle runs continuously till the charging is stopped (If your phone does this than it might not be healthy for your battery so avoid charging for long time after 100%) . Smartphones get fully charged in less than an hour nowadays so charging it for 6-7 hours is just a waste of time and power. 

Then what about Overnight charging? Due to the auto power cut system, smartphones stop taking charge after 100% so your smartphone doesn't get overcharged (You must have a modern smartphone for this feature to work, older models may not have this feature). There is a chance of little heating which is not a big issue. So next time you need to leave early in the morning but your smartphone is not charged than you can plug it in the socket and go for a sleep. But it is good to charge your phone for about 80% which is considered healthy for your battery. With fast charging feature in new smartphones, you can get that in no time.

Talking about fast chargers, is that healthy for your battery?

Yes, Of course. If it was unsafe than smartphone manufacturers won't use this feature in their phones. But latest experiments have found that fast chargers deteriorate the battery in long term use so it is wise to use fast chargers only in urgent situation. This will keep your battery running for long time. If you are not in a hurry, just plug your device in the normal charger that comes with it.

Now let's talk about power banks. They are really helpful when you have lot of important work to do but your battery is dead or about to die. Is charging your smartphone from a DC source safe? Absolutely yes, the power banks have modules that provide constant voltage for your device to charge. But USB outlets from an inverter or USB outlet coming directly from wall socket may not contain those modules so it is good to have a travel adapter or charging modules that you can get online for charging from those unidentified sources.

Conclusion: What is actually healthy for your battery?

Lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries are known to have maximum efficiency between 20 - 80% charge so it is good to charge your phone between these limits. The lifecycle of your battery is calculated in Charge cycles. A normal battery performs best before 600 - 800 charge cycles. A complete discharge and a full charge completes a charge cycle. That means you should not fully charge or completely discharge your battery. It is good to have a top-up charge i.e charging your smartphone 15 - 20 minutes that gives 10 - 20%  increment in battery percentage.

So this are some battery related information I can give you right now. Use these information to keep your batteries healthy for  longer and don't believe in myths. Feel free to share this information with your friends and family.

Follow us for future updates. Thank you!

Article by: Bimochan Poudel