eli5 why is it that if we leave a battery overcharging it starts losing its charge-retention capacity? For example in laptops or phones.
In: Technology
Overcharging isn’t really a thing anymore since modern gadgets are smart enough to stop charging when a battery is full. They then bounce between 95-100%, discharging and charging as necessary. (Maybe not exactly, but roughly)
But this still introduces wear since the battery is still providing and receiving energy. Lithium ion batteries also don’t like to stay at the extreme ends of their capacity. (fully discharged or fully charged – I don’t have an explanation to that at this time, I saw you asked in another comment)
To help preserve life you sometimes get the feature to keep the maximum charge at 80% (again, this number can vary but it’s a default) to reduce long-term wear. This is why the iPhone can learn your routine and charge up to 80%, wait, and then complete the charge when it’s closer to when you wake up to reduce time at 100%. My laptop, some Android phones also have that feature but how it’s accessed can vary widely.
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