Protecting the life of your cell phone battery

CHARLOTTE — Many people consider their phone their lifeline. We use them to wake up and keep track of important information, but sometimes, keeping them charged and ready to go can be a challenge.

According to experts, consistently charging your phone to 100% can be a battery killer.

Anthony Bombik, a mechanical engineer and UNC Charlotte assistant professor recommends thinking of your cell phone like a bookshelf. When you charge 100%, the shelf is completely full, and the charger is just trying to shove in more books.

“There’s nowhere for them to go, so that can kind of degrade the performance of the battery,” he told Channel 9’s Damany Lewis. “Over time, it’s just sapping some of that energy, which is how you end up with a phone after two years that won’t last.”

At UNC Charlotte’s “Batt Cave,” engineers study the ins and outs of all types of batteries from EV’s to cell phones by taking them apart and putting them back together. They say to get the best out of your battery, charge it only to the mid-80s, but never let it drop below 20%.

Another big mistake is leaving your phone in a hot environment for an extended period of time, like your car one a summer day.

“At really high temperatures, batteries can actually enter into thermal runaway chain reaction that could end in fire or explosion,” Bombik said.

And to answer, the age-old question of which battery is better, Apple or Android, experts say they’re actually quite the same. Bombik says both brands source from similar companies.

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