what happen when you keep phone connected after it's charged on a portable charger?

[Rosoku Chikara]

...The charge controller will turn charging off when the battery is fully charged. However, as mentioned leaving it sitting around at 100% isn't great for the battery...<snip>

Ok, I get it, and this makes sense. However, the problem (for me) seems to be the fact that I never know when I will want to leave the house on short notice with my tablet, and when I do need it, it gets heavy usage and runs out of power fairly quickly. Therefore, even now I carry a "power bank" as a secondary emergency power source. So, I am not certain that I am willing to keep my tablet charged to only, let's say 80%, in order to increase the overall longevity of the the battery. One would hope that I will be getting a new (and better?) tablet within 18-24 months.

I guess what we need is better data (which probably doesn't exist) on just *how much* the battery longevity is being harmed, by keeping it fully charged most of the time...

 

[richardcpf]

I guess what we need is better data (which probably doesn't exist) on just *how much* the battery longevity is being harmed, by keeping it fully charged most of the time...

Very hard to determine, but surely leaving it fully charged for a couple hours at a time harms less than the actual wear because of charging cycles.

I have an iPhone 5S and under moderate use I find myself doing more than 2 cycles per day. In less than 10 months I was able to notice severe loss in power holding, add high operating temperature to the equation and you get a pretty worn out battery. I bet the battery now holds no more than 70% compared when it was new.

This issue is more related to laptops, since the battery never drains unless unplugged. Nowadays smartphones discharge in matter of hours and I know people who go through 3 to 4 cycles per day, that translates to a pretty much useless battery in less than 6 months.

 

[Norm]

I have an iPhone 5S and under moderate use I find myself doing more than 2 cycles per day. In less than 10 months I was able to notice severe loss in power holding, add high operating temperature to the equation and you get a pretty worn out battery. I bet the battery now holds no more than 70% compared when it was new.

The battery should be covered by warranty if that's the case.

I've owned all of the main models of Iphone (not the intermediate models), my battery is always charged nightly and I've never experienced any sort of noticeable battery deterioration.

Norm

 

[Esperologist]

... even now I carry a "power bank" as a secondary emergency power source. So, I am not certain that I am willing to keep my tablet charged to only, let's say 80%, in order to increase the overall longevity of the battery...

Here is a question, is your use of the 'power bank' keeping it at 100% or just keeping it at 100% for longer periods?
Scenario One : Tablet gets unplugged and the 'power bank' is plugged into it... you travel to your destination and plug the tablet into a wall outlet... power in tablet hardly goes below 100%, if at all.
Scenario Two : Tablet gets unplugged and the 'power bank' it plugged into it... tablet is used until both the 'power bank' is drained and the tablet is mostly drained (below 15%) before plugging both in to charge gain.
Scenario Three : Tablet gets unplugged and used until mostly drained, then the 'power bank' is connected and the tablet is used until the 'power bank' is drained and the tablet is again mostly drained before plugging both in to charge again.

I would guess that of those options, the third is the best choice for battery life. However, the second is probably reasonable enough since the battery still gets cycles. The first scenario avoids cycling, which will likely cause trouble in the future. I imagine the best scenario is to connect the 'power bank' when the tablet gets low... but disconnect it if the tablet reaches near-full recharge.

I make low use of my cell phone (Galaxy Rugby) so I typically charge it every few days. For my laptop, I typically keep it plugged in but I do cycle it from time to time by unplugging it (typically when taking it out somewhere) or by playing Civ5 (since it drains my battery even while plugged in). So, I'm saying that I'm not efficient with battery maintenance and it seems to be doing fine.
I'll be honest, I keep 'background data' disabled on my phone so it isn't constantly doing stuff online... I save so much battery power with it off. It doesn't interfere with my accessing the internet... just prevents constant updating of apps that I don't use and can't uninstall. * rages at the weather app and cardio trainer app on his phone *

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

I just wanted to share an update for you guys from a co-worker for all those who have posted how great the chargers and technology are and nothing will ever go wrong.

Guy comes up to me and asks me for a USB3 charger for his Samsung S5. I gave him the one from my desk to use ( a legit Samsung S5 USB3 charger). He told me he plugged the phone in for a full day and when it came off it was pretty hot. Then he plugged it in for a full overnight, maybe 12 or so hours, the next day. Now he has to charge his phone twice a day because the battery drains so fat. And, no, it's not his usage as he was getting over a full day before.

 

[idleprocess]

I just wanted to share an update for you guys from a co-worker for all those who have posted how great the chargers and technology are and nothing will ever go wrong.

Guy comes up to me and asks me for a USB3 charger for his Samsung S5. I gave him the one from my desk to use ( a legit Samsung S5 USB3 charger). He told me he plugged the phone in for a full day and when it came off it was pretty hot. Then he plugged it in for a full overnight, maybe 12 or so hours, the next day. Now he has to charge his phone twice a day because the battery drains so fat. And, no, it's not his usage as he was getting over a full day before.

We all know things can go wrong - it's the nature of mass production and it's why manufacturers offer warranties - because they're often more cost-effective than getting it perfect out the door. One suspects either a manufacturing defect (GS 5 being rather new and this 24 hour change in behavior is pretty steep) or more likely some background app or widget munching all the juice.

 

[SemiMan]

I just wanted to share an update for you guys from a co-worker for all those who have posted how great the chargers and technology are and nothing will ever go wrong.

Guy comes up to me and asks me for a USB3 charger for his Samsung S5. I gave him the one from my desk to use ( a legit Samsung S5 USB3 charger). He told me he plugged the phone in for a full day and when it came off it was pretty hot. Then he plugged it in for a full overnight, maybe 12 or so hours, the next day. Now he has to charge his phone twice a day because the battery drains so fat. And, no, it's not his usage as he was getting over a full day before.

Software bug .... Something is running that is draining the battery.

 

[richardcpf]

Very unlikely related to leaving the charger plugged in for a full day.

But if that is the case, there are only 2 possible scenarios:

1. Battery is damaged and hold little charge now.
2. Somewhere in the board there is a short causing battery to drain quickly. If this is the case, the phone should be hot all times. Because energy don't just vanish, it is either consumed by usage, or converted into heat.

 

[LlF]

Here is a question, is your use of the 'power bank' keeping it at 100% or just keeping it at 100% for longer periods?
Scenario One : Tablet gets unplugged and the 'power bank' is plugged into it... you travel to your destination and plug the tablet into a wall outlet... power in tablet hardly goes below 100%, if at all.
Scenario Two : Tablet gets unplugged and the 'power bank' it plugged into it... tablet is used until both the 'power bank' is drained and the tablet is mostly drained (below 15%) before plugging both in to charge gain.
Scenario Three : Tablet gets unplugged and used until mostly drained, then the 'power bank' is connected and the tablet is used until the 'power bank' is drained and the tablet is again mostly drained before plugging both in to charge again.

I would guess that of those options, the third is the best choice for battery life. However, the second is probably reasonable enough since the battery still gets cycles. The first scenario avoids cycling, which will likely cause trouble in the future. I imagine the best scenario is to connect the 'power bank' when the tablet gets low... but disconnect it if the tablet reaches near-full recharge.

I make low use of my cell phone (Galaxy Rugby) so I typically charge it every few days. For my laptop, I typically keep it plugged in but I do cycle it from time to time by unplugging it (typically when taking it out somewhere) or by playing Civ5 (since it drains my battery even while plugged in). So, I'm saying that I'm not efficient with battery maintenance and it seems to be doing fine.
I'll be honest, I keep 'background data' disabled on my phone so it isn't constantly doing stuff online... I save so much battery power with it off. It doesn't interfere with my accessing the internet... just prevents constant updating of apps that I don't use and can't uninstall. * rages at the weather app and cardio trainer app on his phone *

I want to know more about the different devices interact with a portable charger.
I got a anker astro 2nd generation. I used it to charge an iphone, and once the phone is fully charged, the anker charger automatically turned itself off. noted anker boost their product being a smart charger, so maybe other portable charger would act differently. also the phone was idle during the time. next time i should try using it and see how it react with a bigger draw

and I have to say I wish i read shine on's comment sooner. I have a laptop 6 years old that runs great but the battery is ruined because i always kept it plugged in. I read many documents about how to max battery life, like deep cycle it once every few months, but it doesnt seem enough. the battery now is slightly bulged and it's hard to justify a new battery for an old computer.

 

[MarioJP]

Leaving it plugged to an external mobile charger that's still has charge left is fine. The problem is when the pack runs out of a juice. You should disconnect. Some of these mobile packs don't auto shutoff and drains the battery from the phone when the pack has drained completely, sometimes causing your phone to act weird and rare cases, reboots.

 

[Esperologist]

... I have a laptop 6 years old that runs great but the battery is ruined because i always kept it plugged in. I read many documents about how to max battery life, like deep cycle it once every few months, but it doesnt seem enough. the battery now is slightly bulged and it's hard to justify a new battery for an old computer.

Do you ever use the laptop as a laptop? ie: move it from where it is?
Does the laptop do everything you want it to do, with no issues?

If the laptop does what you need it to do and you do move it around, then replacing the battery might be worth it (if it is cheap compared to replacing the whole laptop).
If you would like it to perform better and need to move it around, then replacing the laptop would be a good idea.
If you never actually move it around, you would be better of switching to a tower.

I personally have a tower and a laptop. I used to avoid getting a laptop, but eventually I had too many situations where I needed the mobility so I got myself a laptop.
I've always only gotten a few hours while unplugged, because the thing is a bit of a Defiant class starship (DS9 reference).
My tower currently needs upgrading (Phenom II), but it still does everything I need it to... so I can't justify the cost of the upgrade.
I would like to be able to play Bioshock Infinite... but that is the only thing my laptop can't do... of course, I haven't actually tried to play it on my tower yet... but I doubt a Phenom II based tower could beat an A10 based laptop. I do all my gaming on my laptop and the only troubles I have are Civ5 eating my battery and BI just failing (super video stutter even on lowest settings).

... sometimes causing your phone to act weird and rare cases, reboots.

Hahaha... my phone acts weirdly and often reboots. But it isn't a battery pack (don't use one) or such. My house is right on the edge of the cell network and, while inside, the signal is intermittent. This seems to result in my phone rebooting a lot. I've tested this by leaving my phone in locations that get signal, locations where there is no signal and locations where the signal is iffy. When my signal is iffy, the stupid thing just keeps rebooting... I've seen it reboot over 5 times in a 30 minutes span. I feel sorry for anyone who does call me while I'm at home because it often causes my phone to reboot. * ring.... rebooting tune *

 

[Bucur]

I owned several laptops during the last 15 years or so. Mine is actually a 90% home biased home-office case. When at home (office) I kept them all plugged-in to the mains. All of them, except my current Toshiba Ultrabook, gradually degraded on runtime via the battery. Within 2 years or so, their typical runtime on battery power was as low as 25% or so, compared to their own runtime when new. My 2 year old Toshiba Ultrabook, however, still runs on battery power as long as it did when new. IMO, the difference is mainly due to the Eco Mode which Toshiba describes as: "Eco charge mode increases the battery charge cycles by not charging to full capacity. This mode can increase battery life cycles, although the battery life per full charge is shorter in this mode. This mode is recommended for users who most often use the PC with the AC adapter".

This mode keeps the battery capacity at 80% which gives me 4+ hours of runtime on battery power. This is long enough for most of my out-of-home jobs, including most of the short notice ones (that do not allow time for fully charging the battery before leaving home). Therefore, Eco Mode is now my norm. Consistent 4+ hours of runtime for many years makes more sense than 6+ hours when new but down to 1.5 hours in less than 2 years. I think this performance is due to a combination of improved battery capacity and energy saving technologies that we enjoyed during the years. I couldn't do the same with weaker batteries and less efficient electronics because limited runtime would oblige me to use the full capacity of the battery. But given today's battery capacities and electronics' level of efficiency, I believe in making use of the battery's longevity rather than its full capacity.

 

[BringerOfLight]

I just wanted to share an update for you guys from a co-worker for all those who have posted how great the chargers and technology are and nothing will ever go wrong.

Guy comes up to me and asks me for a USB3 charger for his Samsung S5. I gave him the one from my desk to use ( a legit Samsung S5 USB3 charger). He told me he plugged the phone in for a full day and when it came off it was pretty hot. Then he plugged it in for a full overnight, maybe 12 or so hours, the next day. Now he has to charge his phone twice a day because the battery drains so fat. And, no, it's not his usage as he was getting over a full day before.

Those so-called USB chargers are really just 5V power supplies. The entire charger functionality is in the phone. The phone itself does charge voltage and current regulation.

 

[Monocrom]

I've sometimes left my cellphone on the charger for several days. (Yeah, I don't EDC one because I see no reason to be tethered to one.) Anyway, nothing ever happened.

 

[Bolek]

My Asus tablet not used for 3 days dichaged ,and then never accept to charge again .