Question on Wireless Charging & Batteries

[awsman]

I've always heard that a cellphone battery has a set number of charges, and whether you charge from 0% to 100% or from 75% to 100% or from 55% to 75% each of this instances will use one of those finite charges. So my questions is as follows:

If the above is true and I'm using a wireless charging plate to charge my phone. Say the phone charges from 15% to 30% and I get a phone call. I pick up the phone to use it, thus removing it from the charger. I put it back down after I'm done and it resumes charging. Does that use 2 of my finite charges since it stopped charging and then resumed? If so, wireless charging loses essentially all of it's appeal to me.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[WPenvy]

I've always heard that a cellphone battery has a set number of charges, and whether you charge from 0% to 100% or from 75% to 100% or from 55% to 75% each of this instances will use one of those finite charges. So my questions is as follows:

If the above is true and I'm using a wireless charging plate to charge my phone. Say the phone charges from 15% to 30% and I get a phone call. I pick up the phone to use it, thus removing it from the charger. I put it back down after I'm done and it resumes charging. Does that use 2 of my finite charges since it stopped charging and then resumed? If so, wireless charging loses essentially all of it's appeal to me.

Any thoughts on this?

Modern laptops and cell phones, use Lithium Ion batteries. A charging cycle is defined means a depletion of the battery and charging to 100%. Example, today you drain to 40% and charge back up. Tomorrow you drain to 60% and charge back up. Altogether, that's 1 cycle. Fear not when it comes to constantly charging your battery, the worst thing you can actually do, is let it sit dead for a prolonged period of time (days/weeks).

Also don't worry about plugging in your phone early evening and not unplugging it until late morning the next day. Your device has safeguards in place to prevent the battery from being "overcharged". The reason people used to remove batteries from laptops they always had plugged in, was heat. We don't have to worry about that. Our phones are too smart for that to be an issue.

You're welcome.

 

[jlzimmerman]

Modern laptops and cell phones, use Lithium Ion batteries. A charging cycle is defined means a depletion of the battery and charging to 100%. Example, today you drain to 40% and charge back up. Tomorrow you drain to 60% and charge back up. Altogether, that's 1 cycle. Fear not when it comes to constantly charging your battery, the worst thing you can actually do, is let it sit dead for a prolonged period of time (days/weeks).

Also don't worry about plugging in your phone early evening and not unplugging it until late morning the next day. Your device has safeguards in place to prevent the battery from being "overcharged". The reason people used to remove batteries from laptops they always had plugged in, was heat. We don't have to worry about that. Our phones are too smart for that to be an issue.

You're welcome.

That's mostly true. LI-ion batteries, like all rechargable batteries, have a life cycle (LI-ion has 400 to 1200 cycles). Even the more robust NiMH batteries have a finite life cycle (600 to 1500 cycles).
How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University
"Similar to a mechanical device that wears out faster with heavy use, so also does the depth of discharge (DoD) determine the cycle count. The shorter the discharge (low DoD), the longer the battery will last. If at all possible, avoid full discharges and charge the battery more often between uses. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine; there is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles to prolong life, other than to calibrate the fuel gauge on a smart battery once in a while."

Battery Calibration – Battery University