Allow Battery to run down?

[brad419]

Just got my Rezound. Should I let the battery run down completely the first few times? Does it make a difference in battery life if I do this? Thanks in advance!

 

[rootbrain]

I've heard both ways that you should/shouldn't. I believe not with lithium ion batteries. I always keep mine above 20%

 

[MustangDan74]

Lithium Ion batteries have no memory. No need to drain down to recharge.

 

[Postoid]

Agree. With my Rezound after some discharges and recharges, the phone seems to pick up a user pattern based on your settings. At the end of my first week of use, I could easily get 1-2 days of light/medium use with the standard battery. Your mileage may vary.

 

[PaulQ]

Agree with the No. I believe it's actually bad to run down a lithium ion battery. I never do and try to plug it in before it hits 10%.

...Sent from my Tab

 

[Egnix]

Agree. With my Rezound after some discharges and recharges, the phone seems to pick up a user pattern based on your settings. At the end of my first week of use, I could easily get 1-2 days of light/medium use with the standard battery. Your mileage may vary.

I hear people say this often, but I'm pretty sure that it is not the case of your phone "learning the usage pattern." Lithium-ion batteries have a break in period and need a few charges before they can achieve their full capacity. I think this battery characteristic makes people think it's the phone that is acting differently, when really it is the battery that is acting differently.


Anyway, to answer the question, A lithium-ion battery should never be technically "fully discharged". The phone should shut off at a certain voltage to prevent this. However, I've read a number of posts from people saying their phone no longer charges a battery that they've run down completely. This makes me wonder if the phone isn't properly reacting to the cutoff voltage. So, if you can help it, I wouldn't let the phone run down until it shuts itself off.

Personally, I recharge at around 40% in order to have more recharge cycles.
Here's a good, albeit technical, reference: Charging Litum-Ion Batteries