Recently, mobile phone fast charging technology has continued to blossom. We now have Android phones such as Xiaomi that support 100W fast charging. Also, Apple has bid farewell to 5W charging in favor of 20W for the iPhone. While enjoying fast charging, many people also have a series of concerns. What is the effect of fast-charging a mobile phone Will fast charging cause damage to the battery? Is a phone heating up while fast charging normal? Today, we will work together to resolve these doubts.
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What is The Effect of fast-Charging a Mobile Phone: Does Fast Charging Hurt The Battery?
First off, any form of charging will eventually adversely affect the battery life as long as charging will consume the battery
In other words, whether it is fast charging or slow charging, as long as it is charging, it will cause damage to the battery, which is determined by the charging chemistry of the mobile phone battery.
At this stage, almost all smartphones use “lithium-ion batteries”, and the life of lithium batteries is mainly related to the number of charging times and the ambient temperature. On the contrary, this has little to do with the speed of charging.
About The Charging Principle of Lithium Batteries
The charging and discharging principle of lithium batteries are actually that lithium ions flow between the positive and negative electrodes of the battery.
In this process, the active material of the battery will be irreversibly consumed, the number of lithium ions will decrease, and the battery capacity will also decrease.
Now, taking the iPhone as an example, Apple officially stated that under normal conditions, when the battery’s charging cycle reaches 500 times, the maximum capacity of the iPhone battery will drop to about 80%. it is determined that the battery can no longer be used.
What Does Popular Science Have to Say About Battery Charging Speed
Scientifically, 500 cycles of battery charge/discharge life refer to a cycle when the battery consumes 0 power at an ambient temperature of 25°C, and then fully recharges to 100% power.
Of course, if fast charging and slow charging have the same damage to the battery, it is obviously unrealistic. There are currently two fast-charging schemes, either increasing the voltage or increasing the current, which will inevitably cause some loss to the battery.
However, mobile phones and charging devices that support fast charging have a complete and reliable battery management strategy, which is sufficient to protect the battery and ensure the safety of fast charging.
Take the iPhone 12 as an example, with the Ugreen 20W charger, the first 80% of the power is to maintain high power for fast charging.
After 80% of the power is reached, the charging current starts to slow down, and the remaining 20% is charged in the form of a trickle charge. This helps to reduce damage to the battery and extending battery life.
Is It Normal for The Device To Heat Up While Fast-Charging?
Basically, It is normal for mobile phones to generate heat during fast charging. A large voltage or current during fast charging will cause heat to accumulate.
In addition, the temperature will naturally be higher than that of ordinary charging, but it is basically within the normal range. It can be judged as normal if it is not hot to the touch.
A low-Quality Charger Will Cause Your Phone to Overheat
As the sayings go, “the charger is the culprit in fast charging and it can make or mar the phone.” This is correct to a very large extent. Therefore, we need to select our chargers very carefully.
Apparently, the charger is responsible for the conversion of AC power from the grid into low-voltage direct current, and the heat generation is mainly caused by the poor conversion efficiency of the charger.
In the charging process, the charging voltage and current of the mobile phone are determined by the protocol in the mobile phone. In simpler terms, the charging voltage and current are controlled by the mobile phone.
The charger only passively adapts to the needs of mobile phone charging, which generally harms the mobile phone and the battery.
Of course, the conversion efficiency of low-quality chargers is low, and the charging protection circuit may not be adequate. Hence, the probability of charging safety accidents will be greater.
Therefore, it is recommended that you should choose an original or a reliable third-party charger.
At present, Android phones are basically equipped with original chargers as standard. However, since last year, Apple has canceled the original charger for the models on sale, and users who are new to iPhones need to choose between the original and the third party.
Considering the price, more and more users tend to choose third-party chargers with excellent quality and affordable prices.
According to e-commerce data, the sales volume of 20W chargers launched by UGREEN is second only to the original Apple.
Ambient Temperature Also Affects The Temperature of The Phone When Charging
Secondly, the heat generated by the fast charging of mobile phones is also affected by the ambient temperature. Putting this in perspective, your phone will heat up faster when charging in the summer than in winter.
High-End Mobile Games Can Also Cause Heating Up
Another thing that causes fast-charging to generate enormous heat is a high-end mobile game.
Take, for example, when you have just finished a large-scale mobile game, your phone will definitely heat up.
At this time, you need to place the phone in a well-ventilated place and wait for it to return to room temperature before charging. Failure to do this may put you at risk that is associated with charging at high temperatures.
In addition. don’t charge and use your phone simultaneously. this may cause it to overheat. allow it to first charge properly before you start using.
Verify That You Are Using The Original Charging Cable And That It Is In Good Shape
Another unsung cause of charging heat is often ignored by us, and it is the charging cable.
If the charging cable plug is aging or of poor quality, it is easy to cause serious heating of the mobile phone terminal or even burn out the charging interface during charging.
This type of charging cable should be replaced in time. In addition, the plug of the charging cable must be tightly inserted into the mobile phone when charging. Poor contact will also cause the mobile phone’s charging interface to heat up.
Should I continue To fast charge My Phone?
The answer to this question is yes. Since
Almost all smartphones now use fast charging, and people who have experienced flash charging don’t want to use slow charging anymore.
After all, half an hour fast-charging is 60% while half an hour regular charging 20%, no one can refuse the former.
Pros of Fast-Charging
Faster charging speed allows users to use their fragmented time to charge. For example, the iPhone 12 that supports PD20W fast charging, paired with high-quality chargers such as UGreen or Anker, can be fully charged with 60% of the power in half an hour. When you wake up in the morning, brush your teeth, wash your clothes, and eat breakfast, your phone can be charged from 0% to 60%, which can accumulate enough energy for a day’s work.
Besides, the significance of fast charging is not only to save time but also to let users not be enslaved by charging time. With fast charging, you can now enjoy a more relaxed and free lifestyle.
Final Thought
Generally speaking, the advantages of fast charging outweigh the disadvantages. Of course, we need to develop good charging habits for the sake of the health of our mobile phone batteries.
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