Researchers and scholars call it planned obsolescence and it is the reason why our devices after two or three years begin to show the first problems and slowdowns. The problem affects any technological object, from smartphones to tablets to laptops.
Batteries also suffer the “same trauma”: after a certain number of recharge cycles they begin to show the first signs of failure. The duration begins to decrease and it is increasingly complicated, especially for smartphones, to get through the day without recharging the battery. Batteries are very delicate and a wrong use of the devices determines a shortening of their “life”. Everything is due to the materials with which they are built: lithium is a mineral that is very light, but that heats up easily. High temperatures drastically reduce the number of cycles a battery can do.
Unfortunately, with a few tricks you can extend the life of smartphone and laptop batteries. You don’t have to be a great computer expert, but all it takes is a little patience and shrewdness to make the battery of your Android smartphone or iPhone last even four or five years, without losing efficiency and effectiveness. To find out how to do to lengthen the life of your smartphone, all you have to do is scroll through the images in the photogallery.
Find out how many charging cycles you’ve done
Batteries have a life span and in no way can you prolong their agony once they’ve reached their limit. But you can prevent it, trying to take the best care of the batteries and c to stress them as little as possible. Usually a smartphone battery has a life of about 500 charging cycles (especially iPhones), while for computers, the life is extended up to 1000-1500 cycles. Once exceeded, the battery begins to show the first signs of failure.
To check how many cycles are missing to reach the critical threshold you can consult the statistics offered by your smartphone or computer. If you own a MacBook, you’ll need to click on the apple icon in the upper left corner and then on “About this Mac”. A window will open and you’ll have to click on System Report and then Energy: a window will appear with information about the battery and the cycles it has performed.
On the other hand, Windows users will have to launch the Command Prompt and type powercfg /batteryreport. An HTML report will be automatically downloaded into the User folder on the hard drive. Compared to Apple computers, not all companies that support Windows offer the possibility to monitor the number of cycles performed.
One of the tricks to safeguard the number of charging cycles is to plug the laptop into the power outlet when possible and remove the battery at the same time. This may seem like a no-brainer (the notebook was specifically created to be used when you’re on the go), but it’s not. Especially when you’re at home watching a movie, it’s advisable to plug your laptop into the power outlet to “save” your battery.
Watch out for temperature
Even if you haven’t reached the maximum number of charging cycles yet, your battery may start to show signs of failing. This is most likely caused by the high temperatures reached by your smartphone or laptop during use. Lithium, the material from which all mobile device batteries are made, suffers from heat, and high temperatures negatively affect battery life. To monitor your laptop’s temperature, you can install free programs such as Passmark BatteryMon for Windows notebooks and TGPro for MacBooks.
The temperature of the room is also very important. For perfect charging, the temperature should be around 20 degrees (the tolerance range is 5 to 45 degrees). Any temperature above or below the 5-45 degree Celsius range will inexorably damage the battery.
Complete or only partial battery charging
One of the big topics of debate concerns the perfect time to put your mobile device on charge. As usual, there are two diametrically opposed lines of thought between those who are in favor of fully discharging the battery and those who are against it. Actually, with modern lithium batteries, it is not important to discharge the battery completely: the internal circuits manage at best the last “moments of life” of the battery. The situation was completely different a few years ago when nickel cadmium batteries were used and they could be completely discharged making any attempt to recharge impossible.
Use original charger
Every device has its own charger. Many users buy universal chargers that allow them to charge multiple devices at the same time: Android smartphones, iPhones and iPads. Although they are very convenient and save space in your bag, universal chargers are the number one enemy to saving your battery. If you want to extend the life of your smartphone or laptop as much as possible you should use the original charger. If you use a different charger than the one that came with your smartphone or laptop you might get too much or too little power and damage the battery.
If you have to use a universal charger you should make sure that the materials used are of high quality and that it has been developed by a company with decades of experience in technology. It can be very unpleasant to see your €500 tablet ruined by using a charger that costs five or six euros.
Beware of drops
Drops don’t only damage the casing or the screen of your smartphone or notebook, but also the battery. In fact, accidental drops ruin the battery cells and the battery starts to malfunction and overheat. If you have a damaged or swollen battery, be careful. It’s very rare for them to catch fire, but they can create huge problems for your computer. If you experience abnormal overheating, take your notebook or smartphone to service immediately.
Do not charge the battery at 100%
The habit leads the user to charge the battery of his device at 100%, believing that he is safeguarding the health of the computer or smartphone. In reality, this only risks ruining the battery. Ideally the charger should be disconnected after reaching 60-70% autonomy.
Only lithium batteries used in laptops need to be recalibrated at least every 30 charging cycles. To recalibrate the battery it is necessary to discharge it completely and then recharge it to 100%.
Replace the battery
In case the previous advice on how to extend the life of the battery of your cell phone, tablet and PC did not have any effect, the only possible solution is replacement. But don’t worry, the cost of batteries has become much more affordable than in the past and replacement is also very easy, especially if you need to proceed on older models, for example to change the battery of an old iPhone.
The best devices to increase battery life
If the battery of smartphones, laptops and tablets doesn’t offer the same performance as before, but you don’t want to spend extra money to change it or buy a new device, the best solution is to buy a portable charger. This way you can recharge your device at any time and continue to use it for a few more months or years before replacing it. Here are some useful products to buy, both conventional and wireless.
Limxems Wireless Charger
Among the best options for quickly charging your smartphone is the Limxems Wireless Charger, an induction plate with 10W power. Il dispositivo supporta la ricarica rapida ed è compatibile con tantissimi telefoni, dall’iPhone 12 e 12 Pro fino ai modelli di smartphone Samsung di nuova generazione. Viene proposto in bianco e nero, con tutte le certificazione europee previste dalle norme CE, una garanzia di 18 mesi e protezioni di sicurezza contro le sovratensioni.
Caratteristiche principali
- Piastra di ricarica wireless
- Potenza 10W
- Supporto ricarica rapida
- Compatibile con Android e iOS
- Garanzia di 18 mesi
Caricabatterie wireless Seneo 3 in 1
Un’ottima soluzione per allungare l’autonomia dei dispositivi mobili in modo pratico e agevole è il caricabatterie wireless Seneo, un modello 3 in 1 che consente di ricaricare allo stesso tempo smartphone Android e iOS, smartwatch e custodie di ricarica degli auricolari senza fili. Si tratta di una base di ricarica compatibile con tantissimi modelli di iPhone, Apple Watch e AirPods, con potenza di 7,5W, supporto per la ricarica rapida e tecnologia ATB per il controllo della temperatura e a protezione dei device dal sovraccarico.
Caratteristiche principali
- Stazione di ricarica wireless 3 in 1
- Potenza di 7,5W
- Supporto ricarica rapida
- Compatibile con adattatore QC2.0/QC3.0
- Ricarica telefono con custodia
Powerbank 30000 mAh Baseus
Con il powerbank Baseus è possibile ricaricare tutti i dispositivi portatili in modo rapido e sicuro, grazie a una capacità di 30000 mAh e alla presenza di 3 porte USB Type-C. Questo caricabatterie da viaggio ha una tensione di 5 volt, pesa appena 600 grammi e vanta dimensioni compatte per ridurre l’ingombro. È compatibile con la ricarica veloce, funziona senza problemi con device Android e iOS oppure con le console di gioco portatili come la Nintendo Switch. Si possono caricare anche i laptop, con supporto per la ricarica veloce a 15W per il Macbook.
Caratteristiche principali
- Powerbank da 30000 mAh
- 3 ingressi USB Type-C
- Supporto Android e iOS
- Perso 600 grammi
- Certificazione CE, RoHS e FC
Powerbank 30000 mAh Jiga
Il powerbank Jiga da 30000 mAh propone tantissime porte per la ricarica dei dispositivi mobili, con un sistema intelligente per ottimizzare la carica e protezioni di sicurezza contro le sovratensioni. Il caricabatterie portatile dispone di 3 ingressi, tra cui una porta Lightning, una microUSB e una USB Type-C, per scegliere l’opzione desiderata per la ricarica del powerbank, dopodiché con 5 uscite si possono ricaricare allo stesso tempo altrettanti apparecchi, con supporto per Android e iOS. È presente anche un indicatore a LED per conoscere lo stato della carica, con un pannello per la ricarica wireless fino a 10W.
Caratteristiche principali
- Powerbank da 30000 mAh
- 3 ingressi USB, microUSB e Lightning
- Ricarica fino a 5 dispositivi
- Supporto Android e iOS
- Compatibile con ricarica wireless fino a 10W
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