How much battery is left in a mobile phone for best charging results?

For most of us, charging our phones is something that happens naturally. We charge our phones when we get into bed, and anytime we happen to have a charging socket nearby, we charge our phones just in case. However, our mobile phone lithium batteries are like a fickle beast. Sometimes we can use our phones for half a day after charging for ten minutes, and sometimes we can't even use them for a day after charging overnight. This made me wonder: Why does charging a phone have such different effects? Is there an optimal charging point in the battery life of a mobile phone that allows us to charge more efficiently? Generally speaking, a nearly depleted battery is like a person trapped in the desert and almost dying of dehydration. Once he is exposed to a source of water, he will absorb the most water as quickly as possible.

"Generally speaking, charging a battery when it is almost drained achieves better charging efficiency," Motorola engineer Mark Carlson explained this speculation, "so a battery that is charging with 10% of its power remaining may receive a higher current than one that is charging with 50% of its power remaining."

According to Carlson, there are a variety of factors that contribute to the different rates at which batteries charge. Overcharging a battery can affect its lifespan because the batteries in electronic devices often have a current limit, which is designed to allow the battery to support as many charging cycles as possible. You can think of the current limit of a battery as a car approaching a stop. If you can drive at a lower speed, the car will be more likely to stop in time. Similarly, not overcharging your phone will help it charge and discharge normally, rather than to extremes.

However, Carlson also emphasized that the actual charging rate is related to the hardware design and software support of electronic products. In theory, the battery can be charged faster when it is almost empty, but this does not always work. "The actual charging effect of any mobile phone is affected by the current limit of the battery itself, the design of the external charger, and the charging control circuit inside the phone," Carlson further explained, "so it may be true that charging is faster and more effective when the battery is low, but to achieve this effect, it also requires the support of the charging system hardware and software."

Now that you know how mobile phone batteries charge, should you change your usual charging methods? Not necessarily. If you give up the convenience of charging your electronic devices at any time in the name of scientific charging, you will face the risk of your phone not being able to turn on at a critical moment. However, after understanding the principles, the next time you see your mobile phone battery charging at a snail's pace, at least you will understand why it can't charge as quickly as you expect.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.