With new electronics, why should I let the battery fully run out and fully charge, before using it for the first time?

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Title, basically. Everytime I got a new phone, tablet, etc, I was always instructed that I should first, before using the device, let it charge to 100% and then only charge it again once the battery has fully run out and the device turns off.

Apparently this is to increase the lifetime / reduce risk of damaging the battery? But why?

In: Technology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

I haven’t heard that advice in a very long time. Old reachable batteries could develop a ‘memory’ that affected their charge and lifespan. A shop I worked at in the early 90s actually had a reconditioning station for their cordless tool batteries, that would draw them down completely so they could be recharged fully. 

Modern batteries don’t really have that issue; my guess is that whoever is telling you to do this is pretty old fashioned. 

Anonymous 0 Comments

You shouldn’t.  

NiCd batteries used a different technology and that antique advice no longer applies. Lithium cells will be damaged by draining the battery completely.

Anonymous 0 Comments

That procedure helps recalibrate the coulomb counter (the chip that measures how full the battery is), which is relevant as the battery is nearing the end of its service life or is freshly replaced with a brand new one. It reduces the lifetime of li-ion batteries if done often.