Find out if it’s safe to use your laptop while it’s charging and get expert advice on best practices.Laptop batteries wear out during use, losing capacity. This leads to the device working less on a single charge over time. To extend the battery life, it is enough to follow some tips. We will talk about them in this article.
What types of batteries are there?
Different batteries have different chemical compositions. Here are the most popular ones used in laptops:
- Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) : Most often in modern laptop models you can find lithium-ion batteries. They are characterized by high energy capacity and do not require a full discharge before the next charge.
- Lithium Polymer (Li-Po) : The second type of battery. It is lighter in weight, but is not used as often as lithium-ion.
Is it possible to keep a laptop on charge all the time?
How does modern charging work?
There are two main factors that determine the battery life: natural degradation and the limited number of battery charge and discharge cycles. The degradation rate in most cases does not depend on the charging mode. When the laptop is constantly connected to the network, the battery almost does not discharge, and if it does discharge, it is insignificant. In fact, constantly connecting the laptop to the network even extends the battery life cycle.
But high temperatures do have a negative impact on the life of batteries, accelerating their degradation. During charging, the laptop power supply heats up because its elements dissipate a lot of power.
But the laptop’s network adapter is located outside the laptop case and does not directly affect the heating of the battery. The increase in temperature inside the laptop is mainly due to heat generation by the hardware and does not depend on the power mode. Therefore, constant connection to the network will not affect the battery’s capacity.
Why is it safe?
Source Astrus / charging photo
Modern laptops are equipped with special controllers that monitor battery charging. When the laptop is connected to the network, the battery is continuously charged, and when it is charged to 100%, the power is switched to the power supply, which prevents battery overload and extends its service life.
Thanks to these controllers, you don’t have to worry about keeping your laptop plugged in all the time. There’s also no need to remove the battery and store it separately, as this can cause it to discharge and become inoperable. Just use your laptop as normal.
What factors affect battery wear?
Environmental factors can significantly affect the life of the battery. In particular, air humidity is one of the main factors that accelerates the loss of capacity.
Excessive heating can cause rapid loss of charge. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid using the laptop near heating devices and under direct sunlight. The same applies to low temperatures.
If you are not using your laptop for a long time, it is best to store it with a partially charged battery (approximately 50%) and in a cool place. You should also avoid allowing the battery to discharge completely.
A consequence of battery wear may be an increase in the internal resistance of the battery. As a result, excessive heat may be generated during charging and discharging, which leads to an accelerated aging process.
The 80/20 rule – what is it?
Manufacturers recommend following the 20/80 rule. Its essence is to disconnect the laptop from the power supply when the battery charge reaches 80%. Also, do not let the charge indicator fall below 20%. Thus, the battery charge should be in the range of 20 to 80 most of the time. This will help extend the battery life and maintain its capacity as long as possible.
How to preserve battery life as long as possible
By following the tips below, you can maximize your laptop’s battery life even when you use it actively:
- Do not overload your laptop, avoid working at the limits of its capabilities;
- Do not allow the battery to be deeply discharged below 10%;
- For heavy loads, use a cooling pad with fans;
- In the device settings, enable power saving mode;
- During intensive work, disable unnecessary functions;
- Disable background programs through the task manager;
- When you finish working, turn off your laptop or put it into sleep mode.
How to calibrate the battery so that it displays the charge more accurately?
If the laptop battery indicator does not correspond to the actual charge level, then it needs to be calibrated. This is quite easy to do.
- Fully charge your laptop battery;
- Discharge the battery until the laptop turns off completely;
- Turn on your laptop and fully charge the battery again;
- Repeat the procedure two or three times.
Calibration can be performed not only manually, but also using special programs. It is recommended to perform this procedure once every three months to maintain the accuracy of the battery charge indicator.