Battery life

[carlarcher]

Generally, how long does a battery last in terms of months or years?

 

[B. Diddy]

Depends on how it's used, and what's considered useful battery life. Frequent deep discharges (i.e., letting it drain completely frequently) will decrease the overall lifespan. The average lithium battery is supposed to start showing decreased ability to hold a charge after 300-500 charge cycles (i.e., each time you charge up to 100%). But that doesn't mean the battery dies completely--it just drains increasingly quickly, but can still be used. Read more here: How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University

 

[carlarcher]

Thanks B.Diddy for the good info, it'll give me an indication when to start thinking of buying a new battery.

 

[LeoRex]

Some battery tools give your the effective capacity of the battery, as opposed to the listed capacity... Make note of it out of the box.. When the number starts dropping, is a sign that the battery is nearing the end of life. Typically it'll take several months, maybe a year. And even then, it'll degrade slowly most times.

I just subscribe to the 'charge early/charge often' school and I've never owned a phone that outlived its battery...

 

[carlarcher]

Hi LeoRex, yes since I just got the phone this week, it'll be a good time to jot down the specs, thanks!

 

[LeoRex]

Battery Monitor Widget is a good one... (find it in the Play Store). The main status page lists the effective and rated battery capacities. My 6P, 3+ months in is still registering a full 3450mah.

 

[carlarcher]

Thank you LeoRex, pretty soon I hope to be a "old hand" at this cellphone thing thanks to this forum.