How Long Should A Cell Phone Battery Last?
It's not that I talk on my cell phone much. Quite the contrary... I have so many Cingular rollover minutes built-up each month, you wouldn't believe it!
But my cell phone battery still loses its charge, so I have to go through the motions of charging up my phone... then finding it's dead just when I need it most... and recharging it all over again.
So, I wonder... just how long is the battery in a cell phone supposed to last, anyway?
Listen to Bud Light's Real Men of Genius "Mr. Really Loud Cell Phone Talker Guy":
My Cell Battery Only Lasted A Year
After a year of using my Motorola V400 cell phone (with Cingular service ...love 'em!), I came to the realization that I needed a whole new lithium-ion rechargeable battery for it already.
One year just doesn't seem very long for a battery to last -- in my opinion.
So I asked the guys at Batteries Plus (in Cool Springs, TN) for their take on how long a cell phone battery should last.
They gave me a couple of great tips to improve your cell phone battery life!...
First, and foremost, they said a cellphone battery is built to only recharge itself "so many" times. (A little research revealed that number is about 400 times.)
And, to top that off... the Batteries Plus guys said every time you plug your phone into a charger -- either in your home via a wall-charger unit, or in your car via a car-charger -- you're actually lowering the life of that battery!
So if you think you're doing the right thing by keeping a full charge on your battery at all times, you are 100% wrong.
What SHOULD You Do?
Let your cell phone battery run down very low -- not fully discharged, but almost -- every single time. Doing so will extend the life of your battery another full year... or more!A lithium-ion battery in use should last between 2-3 years.Source: BatteryUniversity.com
That's what I'm talkin' about!
Geesh... Who knew there was such "precision" and a "process" and some real "rhyme & reason" to how those dumb 'ol lithium-ion batteries work?!
Obviously, the same would be true for the rechargeable batteries in your other electronic equipment: digital cameras, iPods, wireless products, laptops, etc.
Good to know...
Thanks Batteries Plus. (Guess that's why they're "America's Battery Experts".)
Tips For Prolonging The Life Of Your Battery
- A new Lithium-ion battery will benefit from an initial "conditioning" of the battery. For the first 3 charge cycles, fully charge the battery overnight and allow it to fully discharge before recharging.
- Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.)
- To achieve a true full charge when rapid charging, the battery needs to be slow charged the last 10-15% of its charge cycle.
- Batteries with a fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.
- Lithium-ion batteries require a charger specifically designed to charge Lithium batteries.
- Short battery life in a laptop is mainly caused by heat rather than charge/discharge patterns.
- Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.
- Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)
- Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.
- If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.
- A Lithium-ion battery may be damaged by extensive overcharging (continuously on a charger for more than 24 hours).
allison:
No, "full" should mean that it's fully charged. If your cell phone does not work after that, I would advise taking it to your cell phone company's nearest kiosk or contacting customer service. Have your cell phone make and model ready and let them know exactly what is happening: does the phone stay off after you push the power button? Does it turn itself off for a short while then power off on its own? etc.
Also, some power buttons are ment to be held down for about 2 or 3 seconds, not just pushed quickly. Try that first.
Now..I'm even MORE confused!!
i have a question, every time i charge my w810i(mostly when i sleep), i just leave it charged for the whole night(8 hours charging),so would it be anything wrong with it?
i'm a first-time cellphone user, and i just tried to charge my LG c1300 cell phone two or three times. i now realize that it's not good to do this, but each time i have unplugged the phone from the charger, thinking that it was ok to go after seeing the message 'full'. but it's not, because the phone doesn't work. is my battery dead??! does 'full' mean that it can't be charged?
ANY feedback would be great. thanks!!
this ones funny too i like this one
This is you.. click on listen to Bud lights real loud cell phone talker