The practice of completely discharging a mobile phone’s battery before recharging it is a subject of debate regarding its impact on battery longevity. Older battery technologies, such as nickel-cadmium (NiCd), exhibited a “memory effect,” where repeated partial discharges could reduce the battery’s capacity over time. This led to the recommendation of allowing the battery to fully deplete periodically.
Modern smartphones predominantly utilize lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. These batteries do not suffer from the memory effect. In fact, deep discharges can actually shorten their lifespan. Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time based on charge cycles. A charge cycle is defined as charging the battery from 0% to 100%. Partial charges count as fractions of a cycle. Maintaining a charge level between 20% and 80% is generally considered optimal for preserving the battery’s health and extending its overall lifespan. Historical battery maintenance advice relevant to older technologies is therefore not applicable to current devices.
