The Art of Charging: Mastering Your Smartphone's Battery Health

As we continue to rely on our smartphones for an increasingly large portion of our daily lives, it's becoming more and more important to take care of one of the most critical components of these devices: the battery. But how much do we really know about charging our phones, and is there a way to optimize our charging habits to make them last longer? In this article, we'll explore the world of smartphone batteries, discuss some common misconceptions about charging, and provide tips on how to get the most out of your device's battery life.

Modern smartphones come equipped with sophisticated power management systems that aim to balance performance and energy efficiency. These systems use various techniques, such as dynamic voltage and frequency scaling, to adjust the power consumption based on the device's workload. However, even with these advanced systems in place, there are still ways to optimize our charging habits to make the most of our battery life.

One common misconception is that micromanaging our charging situation will always be the best approach. But does it really matter how much we charge our phones or how often we plug them in? The answer is no. Modern fast charging systems have worked out a number of ways to minimize and mitigate excessive heat, including charging dual cells in parallel, accelerating and decelerating the actual power, and having the power adapter do a lot of the heavy lifting outside the phone enclosure.

Fast charging also raises questions about the potential damage that can be caused by rapid charging. However, most fast charging systems are designed to minimize this risk, and many manufacturers have implemented various safety features to prevent overheating and other issues. For example, some phones may use advanced thermal management systems to regulate the temperature during charging, while others may implement more aggressive cooling systems to keep the battery from getting too hot.

Wireless charging is another area that has gained popularity in recent years. However, like fast charging, it also raises questions about efficiency and safety. Wireless charging uses electromagnetic induction to transfer energy between a transmitter (the charger) and a receiver (the phone). While this technology can be convenient, it's not as efficient as traditional plugged-in charging. However, modern wireless charging systems are getting better at managing inductive charging and making it faster.

MagSafe is an example of magnetic inductive charging that has become increasingly popular with Apple devices. This technology uses a strong magnet to attract the phone to the charger, keeping it stable and secure during charging. While MagSafe may not be as efficient as traditional plugged-in charging, its convenience factor and ease of use have made it a favorite among many users.

But how much is our time and quality of life really worth when it comes to managing our battery health? Is it worth spending hours researching the best charging techniques or obsessing over every little detail? Perhaps. But what about all the other things we could be doing with that time, like enjoying ourselves or pursuing more fulfilling activities?

The truth is, our phones are designed to last for a long time, and they're built to withstand normal usage patterns. By micromanaging our charging habits, we may be able to squeeze out an extra few percent of battery life here and there, but at what cost? Are we really willing to sacrifice our personal satisfaction and happiness in favor of a minor optimization?

Ultimately, the best approach to managing your smartphone's battery health is to find a balance between optimizing your charging habits and enjoying yourself. If you're someone who loves tinkering with their phone and adjusting settings to squeeze out every last bit of performance, then go for it. But if you're someone who just wants to enjoy using your phone without worrying about the intricacies of battery management, then don't worry too much.

One approach is to leave charging to the experts and let the machine do its thing. Most smartphones are equipped with sophisticated power management systems that can handle normal usage patterns without any issues. By leaving the micromanaging to these systems, we can focus on more important things... like what's for lunch or where our next adventure will take us.

But if you're curious about the underlying technology behind your phone, then getting involved is a great way to learn and contribute. Online platforms like Brilliant offer courses in physics, computer science, and algorithm design that can help you understand the principles behind smartphone batteries and charging systems.

Brilliant is an online interactive STEM learning platform that offers a growing catalog of courses specifically crafted to help you learn concepts by working through them yourself in a visual, hands-on way. With bite-sized lessons and puzzles to solve, you'll feel like you're gaming while still learning about the intricacies of battery management. And with most courses available for free, you can start exploring your interests without breaking the bank.

For those who want to take their learning to the next level, Brilliant offers a premium subscription that unlocks additional features and resources. By joining this community, you'll be part of a group of learners who are passionate about STEM fields and eager to share knowledge with others.

So how much is our time and quality of life really worth when it comes to managing our battery health? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between micromanaging and letting go. By finding a balance between optimizing our charging habits and enjoying ourselves, we can enjoy using our smartphones without worrying about every little detail. And by embracing the world of STEM education, we can learn more about the fascinating technology behind our devices while also contributing to the advancement of human knowledge.

In conclusion, managing your smartphone's battery health is an art that requires a balance between optimizing charging habits and enjoying yourself. By leaving charging to the experts and letting the machine do its thing, we can focus on more important things... like what's for lunch or where our next adventure will take us. And by embracing the world of STEM education, we can learn more about the intricacies behind smartphone batteries while also contributing to the advancement of human knowledge.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- I made a video. Marques made a video.So many videos. But youstill had questions.- Drop the gun!- Shouldyou stop your iPhonefrom charging past 80%?- No.- So, if you have your battery-- Sure.- handled, and Applehas, charging past 80%just isn't a problem.Staying at a high charge statefor an extended periodof time is a problem,but if you wanna charge up 100%and then stop, that's fine.It's just best not to keepconstantly charging beyond thatwhen you're already at 100%,at least not for optimallong term battery health.But honestly, what kindof sense would it makeif the only way tomaintain 100% capacity wasby only ever charging to 80%so it wouldn't drop to 80%,which is all you're evercharging it to anyway.That's why Apple includesan optimized batterycharging feature for iOS,and for macOS now, for that matter.It uses machine learningto figure out thingslike when you typicallywake up in the morning,that way it'll charge up to 80%and then idle there overnightand only go to 100% right before it thinksyou're about to get up andstart using it for the day.Basically because, why makehumans worry constantlywhen machines can just handlethese things automatically?So if you're at all worriedand want to baby your battery a bit,you can just flip on that setting.Or if you're at yourdesk all day, every day,just don't leave it on thecharger all day, every day.Top it up if and when youneed to before you go out.Should you start chargingbefore going under 20%?- No!- Deep discharges exhausting lithium ionjust isn't a day to day problem either.If you plan on storing your phonefor a really, really long period of time,like packing it away, thenyes, you'll wanna get itto around 50% and then shutit down before boxing it up.But otherwise, it's fine.- I'm fine. I'm fine.- And your phone will turn offbefore it's utterly depleted anyway.The actual percentages are kind of a lie,or maybe social engineering,like empty on a gastank isn't really empty,it still reserves some powerand now that's used forfunctions like car keys.Low power mode can helpyou extend that last 20%as much as you need to,not for the battery'ssake, but for our own sakeso we don't end up without a phone,especially if we really need to use itbefore we can get to a chargerand start topping up again,be that at 19% or at 2%.Now, if being in the red,or even in the yellow,causes you any stressor any anxiety at all,or you just know that you'llbe out for a while laterand you wanna make absolutely surethat you have enoughjuice left for photos,or games, or whateverit is you'll be doing,then by all means, you charge you.That is the whole entire point,just don't serve the battery,let the battery serve youand take care of you.What about charge cycles?Won't those just murderdeath kill battery health?- Murder. Death. Kill.- A charging cycle isjust what it sounds like,charging and then dischargingyour phone completely.It's used as a standardpretty much industry wideto set expectations on battery health,pretty much industry wide.For example, Apple says theydesigned iPhone batteriesto retain up to 80% of theiroriginal charge capacityat 500 complete charge cycleswhen operating under normal conditions.And I'll get to what exactlyis considered an abnormal conditionin a literal hot minute.But here's the thing, modernpower management systemsare intelligent, at least artificially.So if you charge up to 80%and then go down to 60%and you keep doing that overand over again, 80% to 60%,it's not gonna be using the same 20%of the battery cell overand over again every time,it's gonna be deliberatelyusing different partsof it all the time,distributing the wear, orthe wear down, so to speak.What those charge cycle numbersare kinda sorta abstracting awayis the actual chemicalhealth of the battery.And what I mean by that is,you have a battery cell,typically one cell in a phone,sometimes two if they wanna charge fasterwith two cells in parallel,or it's a foldable andthey have to be literally,physically separated, whatever.The cell charges and dischargesas lithium ions move back andforth through electrolytesbetween a negative anda positive electrode.And over time, as youcharge and discharge,secondary reactionshappen and those build upand that reduces the functionalcapacity of the cell,like gunk building up in the tank.That's why batteries don't last forever,no matter what you do or don't do.They get used and that uses them up.So what does prematurely ageout a lithium ion battery?- The Iceman cometh.- Lithium ion batteries willdie faster in extreme cold,basically because itslows down the chemistryand the power delivery justcan't keep up with demand.But when you return to normaloperating temperatures,your phone will just returnto normal operations.It's really-- Higher.- extreme heat that'lljust break down thechemistry, increase the gunk,and there's no returning from that.Leaving them out in thesun on a hot summer day,like poolside or on dashboards,or putting them in thosevent clip car mounts,or on top of radiatorson cold winter days,just blasting them with heat.(explosions booming)And the power managementsystem in iOS will,yes, absolutely,gate by cutting thescreen brightness first,then flashing warnings, even shutting downif it gets too hot, but it'll be damagingand prematurely aging out thebattery the whole time anyway.So, rather than micromanageyour whole charging situation,leave that to the machine and just focuson not leaving your phoneslow roasting in the heat.What about fast charging?Doesn't that cause excessiveheat, and so excessive damage?- Does not.- Modern fast charging systemshave worked out a bunchof ways to minimize and mitigate that,including charging dual cells in parallel,accelerating and deceleratingthe actual power,and therefore speed,depending on the charge state,and having the power adapter do a lotof the hot and heavy liftingoutside the phone enclosure.And hopefully if you're charging fast,you're not charging long.What about wireless charging?Wireless charging, AKA inductive charging,matches coils inside your devicewith coils inside the chargerand that type of connectionjust isn't as efficientas a good old fashion plug.But like with fast charging,they're getting really goodat managing inductive charging,and at making it faster as well.For example, magnetic inductive charging,like MagSafe, helps becauseit locks your phone in placeand prevents it from missing, slipping,or being knocked off that sweet,sweet charging sweet spot.And yes, here you areliterally swapping efficiency,in other words speeds,for even more convenience.And based on how popular it is, again,that's a swap that most people seemjust super happy to make.- Oh yeah.- And I'm just gonna put this out there.How much is your timeand quality of life really worth to you?How much should you beworking for your batteryand how much should it be working for you?Now, sure, if you gocomplete God mode on itand micromanage everything,all the time, always,including avoiding apps and activitiesthat generate a lot of heat,because the stuff we do on our phonescan be even more problematicthan how we charge or don't charge them.And then maybe you can eek outsome extra percentage pointsover the course of a year or few,but will you even stillhave your phone by then?Will you have gotten the most out of it?Will all that time and effort you put inreally be worth less thanthe 50 or $70 it would costfor you to get a fresh batteryjust swapped in anyway?And, I mean, if you thinkyour time isn't worth that,or you just really,really get a deep senseof personal satisfactionout of micromanaging your battery healthbecause it feels like anepic win over the system,again, you charge you, andmore power to you, literally.Or if you wanna help get out and pushand just make everythingbetter for all of us,get involved with allthe underlying technologybehind all of this.Check out the physics, computer science,and algorithm courses ontoday's sponsor; Brilliant.Basically everythingthat the next generationof everything, from silicon to software,is all gonna be built on, butalso math, logic, science,quantum mechanics, gametheory and so much more.Because Brilliant isthe online interactiveSTEM learning platformwith a growing catalog ofcourses specifically craftedto help you learn conceptsby working through them yourselfin a visual, hands on way.And all the lessons arethoughtfully broken upinto bite size pieces so youcan learn at your own pace,just zero pressure.For example, have you everwanted to learn to codebut you were put off bythe overly complicatedtraditional computer programming courses?Well, Brilliant has actualfun, interactive challengesthat let you shift aroundblocks of pseudo code,receive immediatefeedback, and get results.You feel like you're solvingpuzzles, gaming even,but the whole entire time you're learninghow algorithms work.And once you know that, codingbecomes way more accessibleand way less intimidating.Because here's the thing, everyone,absolutely everyone starts somewhere,and you can get startedright now, today, for free.Just visit brilliant.org/reneritchie,or click the link in the description.And the first 200 of youwill get 20% off Brilliant'sannual premium subscription.So just click the button on the screenor go to brilliant.org/reneritchie.Clicking on that buttonreally helps out the channel,and so does hitting up this playlistfor all the details, all the inside infoon all of Apple's technology,current and upcoming.Just hit up this playlistand I'll see you in the next video.\n"