Constantly topping up battery

[woodlouse]

Hi all. I have an s24 ultra and have the battery protection set to stop charging at 80%. I mainly charge it wirelessly, but because I use it very heavily for YouTube etc. I tend to charge it several times a day, usually when it gets down to say, 50% or so.

Can anyone tell me if this is likely to damage the battery long term, please - I intend on keeping this phone for several years?

Thanks in advance. 

[smiley]

Personally I prefer not to use wireless chargers if I can help it. I do have a samsung trio charger but mostly use it for my watch and buds.

The phone seems to get a lot warmer when charging with wireless pad... and takes an eternity.

My thoughts are heat transfer can potentially be damaging to batteries and so anything I can do to try and keep it a little cooler during charging the better.

I don't use the 80% battery protection. I think there is a trade off between the nunber of charge cycles and capacity. I know that the battery is best to keep between 30-80% ideally, but this causes you to need to battery charge more often... so seems to me to be a bit counter intuitive.

I usually plug the phone in when it starts getting below 30% and then leave it plugged in until 100%... ideally not leaving it overnight, although sometimes it is unavoidable to leave it plugged overnight.

I turn off superfast charging, and let it charge at standard rate over a wired connection. I had read in the past that fast charging can also have a longer term effect on battery if it isnconstantly used... but I didn't look too far into the science of that with battery technology.

If I can charge during the day at a work desk then I will, so there is no need to leave to charge it overnight and leaving it trickle charging.

Most of this is my own preferences... but there are some scientific reasons for doing this... I.e. reducing charge cycles... and trying to keep battery heat down... and don't ever let the phone go down to zero... ideally 10% minimum.

Overall I think lithium batteries these days are pretty good in mobile phones and even with my s21u and s10 that each had more than 2 years use... they showed hardly any capacity changes from new to when they were traded. I think just use it as you do every day and not to worry too much about how the battery depletes over time.

[Fiona26]

https://www.samsung.com/sg/support/mobile-devices/prevent-your-galaxy-phone-from-being-overcharged/
If you plan to keep the phone for several years. Using battery protection is the way to go.
https://www.samsung.com/nz/support/mobile-devices/tips-for-battery-charging-and-how-to-make-your-bat...
Also looks like keeping it above 50% is the right thing too. According to samsung new Zealand.
I do charge to 100% myself. I prefer to have the 20% extra battery. I charge when battery gets to 20%, although I have forgot to pay attention a few times and had the low battery 15% phone needs charging come up. Agree with @smiley with fast charge. I don't use fast charge.

[GoanGeek]

Hi.

If on WiFi the phone can literally last over 8-9 hours easily on YouTube.

I wouldn't recommend wireless charging for lingerie periods as mentioned it generates more heat which could harm.your phone in the long term.

I have charged my s21 ultra overnight for 100% in the morning and really didn't have any issues.

I did use a routine where it stopped at 80% and resumed to 100% just before I woke up.
I believe the adaptive charging does that now.

If gaming I might top it up in between. I normally charge when it hits 15%.

I'd say don't restrict your phone. Use it for it's full potential as that's what you paid for.

Phone really last really for 3 years or more now and you can always trade in for a newer version down the line.

[TechZilla]

The more times you charge your phone the more your battery diminishes over time. You also want to keep your phone as cool as possible so wireless charging creates more heat and again slowly diminishes your battery.

[JAMES4578]

@woodlouse  As others have suggested using wireless charging constantly is not a good idea  due to the excess heat,whilst some chargers have a cooling mechanism it is not going to mitigate all the effects.  However think it is ok to use ocasssionally.  Nonetheless  wired charging is just more efficient,  using  some of the superfast speeds regularly though will  likely  diminish Battery life.  whilst there has not been extensivbe research on this  Android Authority Testing did show a negative result.   More details here   https://www.androidauthority.com/wireless-charging-battery-health-3198991/ 

[davehorne]

I'm sure there are measurable differences in the manner one charges up their phone, but I have to say this - my wife uses a S21+ and she charges it to 100 percent overnight using a cable.  That phone is over three years old.

I just looked at her phone and it states a full change will last one day and six hours.  Now I realize everyone uses their phone differently, but it's pulling teeth to get me to persuade my wife that she needs a new phone.

Use your phone how you wish, enjoy it, and don't spend your time worrying about how long the battery will last.  

[woodlouse]

Thanks for all of your replies! 👍🙂

[GoanGeek]

This is the way. I have always charged overnight. And no issues. Had the S21 ultra since preorder and it's still a beast.
Passed it on to the teenager now.