In an era where smartphones have become a crucial part of our lives, many people tend to charge their gadgets overnight to ensure they are fully powered by morning. But a question lingers: How safe is this?
One could argue that one is pressed for time and ends up charging the phone overnight with the convenience of continuing with their daily routine uninterrupted.
Kenyans.co.ke will uncover the nuances associated with the effects and potential safety concerns while at the same time shedding light on safety tips of the common practice.
Charging the phone overnight shortens the battery lifespan as the battery gradually loses the ability to hold a charge. This means that charging overnight increases the amount of time it spends with the charger.
This is attributed to the lithium-ion batteries, which are not designed to be fully charged for a long period of time.
Hatem Zeine, the founder of Ossia - a company that develops wireless charging technology, noted that the hours of charging overnight amounted to almost three to four months in a year.
"So even though the manufacturers try their best to cover this scenario, this process inevitably lowers the capacity of your phone's battery," he told the international publication, Go-Concepts.com
Further, when one charges overnight, it leads to trickle-charging which generates some heat. To put into perspective, trickle-charging is a slow continuous charge for an electric storage battery.
This ultimately damages the battery and other components of the phone.
In extreme cases, manufacturers have warned that charging overnight can become a fire hazard. However, in such an occurrence this occurs due to a manufacturing defect or an issue with the charger.
Various experts have also advised charging the phone when the battery level reaches 35 to 45 percent to help in preserving the battery life and ensure the battery lasts longer.
Disclaimer
Manufacturers at Cadex Electronics (makers of lithium batteries) recently indicated that the latest smartphones have inbuilt protection chips that protect phones from taking in more charge than required.
This means that some chargers have protection hardware that stops the current from flowing in and the charger will turn off.
On whether one can use the smartphone while charging, Samsung, a giant electronics maker, assured users that there are no dangers when using the device.
"When you use your phone while charging, the battery is charging at a slower rate than normal to allow enough power for the ongoing usage," read the statement in part.
