Fast charging of smartphones raises many questions. How does it actually work? Does fast charging damage the battery of our phones? Between myths and realities, this article explains how this technology works, its real impact on the battery, and the preconceived ideas about charging our phones.
Get ready, we reveal everything you need to know about fast charging!
How does fast charging work?
Fast charging uses advanced technologies to increase the electrical voltage delivered to the phone, allowing the battery to recharge in a minimum of time .
Several protocols are used by manufacturers, such as Quick Charge, Power Delivery, or even VOOC, but the basic principle remains the same: accelerate the transfer of energy from the charger to the phone by adapting the maximum power that the phone can accept. While for standard charging , the power delivered is around 5 to 10 watts, it generally reaches 30 to 40 watts for fast charging .
To better understand how it works, fast charging is carried out in 2 stages:
- The first stage of charging involves high voltage on the battery until it reaches 70-80% of its capacity. During this time, the battery can sustain a high load without the risk of overheating or significant long-term degradation.
- The second stage occurs for the remaining 20-30%. You must have already noticed that these few remaining percentages are the slowest to load? It's normal ! At this point, the voltage is reduced to minimize the heat generated and prevent damage to the battery.
As you will have understood, fast charging leads to an increase in heat due to the acceleration of electrical power. But does this increase in heat present risks for our phone and its battery?
What impact does fast charging really have on the battery?
Let's go back several years and overheating issues were commonly seen on our devices, raising significant safety concerns. If our phones were left charging for too long, we could feel the device gradually overheating, even leading to a battery explosion in some rare cases.
Fortunately, advances in battery and fast charging technology , as well as strict safety standards imposed on manufacturers, have dramatically changed the game. Today, the risks of overheating and incidents have become exceptional, guaranteeing the safe use of our devices.
Equipped with intelligent thermal management systems , our devices are protected from the risk of overheating. These systems use temperature sensors that adapt power in real time. This ensures that a safe temperature is maintained while charging, without significantly compromising battery life .
Myths and reality about charging your phone
When it comes to battery life and good practices for charging our smartphones , we hear everything! Let's sort out the truth from the falsehood to better understand how to preserve the duration and autonomy of our batteries .
Myth 1: Leaving your phone charging beyond 100% reduces battery life in the long term
False: “ Don’t leave your phone plugged in once the battery is full, it will damage your battery!” » You have probably heard or repeated this phrase before?
A few years ago, leaving your phone plugged in after it reached full capacity could cause the battery to overheat due to overcharging the device, thus causing battery deterioration .
But today, technologies have evolved, including the battery management system . This system is designed to interrupt the electrical charge as soon as the battery reaches 100% of its capacity, thus avoiding any risk of overcharging and preserving the durability of the battery.
Myth 2: Slow charging is always the best option
True and false: In fact, slow charging is gentler on the battery , thanks to a more gradual charging process.
However, fast charging is not necessarily bad. If used according to manufacturer recommendations, fast charging is designed to maintain a balance between speed and safety, minimizing the risk of battery damage.
Myth 3: Using different cables and chargers damages the battery
False: Unless damaged, using cables and chargers other than the original ones has no risk of damaging the battery . The only thing that can happen is that the battery charges more slowly.
So, if you want to charge efficiently and quickly , use the original cables. But if you happen to charge your phone with other cables, don't panic, the battery will not be impacted.
Myth 4: Charging your phone too often damages the battery
False: This is a very common belief, but we will re-contextualize it to better understand.
Older nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries were susceptible to the memory effect , a phenomenon that occurs when a battery is regularly recharged after being partially discharged, resulting in a loss of capacity and range.
However, today we use lithium-ion batteries which are not affected by this memory effect. They are designed to handle a large number of charge cycles. A full charge cycle begins when the battery is completely discharged and then recharged to full capacity.
In fact, keeping your phone charged between 20% and 80% of its capacity can even be beneficial for extending battery life , minimizing stress on it. Therefore, it is better to charge your phone regularly rather than letting it completely discharge before each recharge.
Conclusion
It is important to know that from the first charge of your phone, the battery already begins to degrade, although this is minimal. This is caused by a chemical decomposition phenomenon resulting in a slight loss of capacity after each charging cycle.
So, does fast charging damage the battery faster? If used correctly and according to the manufacturer's recommendations, fast charging does not damage your phone's battery any more than standard charging .
Among the manufacturers' recommendations, here are some to remember and apply if you want to preserve your phone's battery :
- Use certified chargers that meet safety standards
- Avoid overheating by using your phone intensively while charging.
- Maintain a charge between 20% and 80%
- Avoid exposing your phone to extreme temperatures
- Update to the latest version of your phone's software as they include battery management improvements.
Technological advancements have significantly improved temperature and electrical power management, providing a fast charging experience without compromising battery durability.
And technological advances don't stop there. New charging methods have emerged, each bringing its own set of advantages and questions, including wireless charging. We have prepared a detailed article for you to learn everything about wireless charging : The wireless charger for our smartphones… what is it? How it works ?
