Does the constant connection of the laptop to the electricity cause it to be damaged?
Most of us are used to having our laptop plugged in all the time. But what effect does this have on the life and performance of the battery and does it cause battery failure?
Whether you're shopping for a new laptop or seeing the old battery life of your old laptop, the question may arise in your mind, should this device be plugged in all the time? No matter what processor or display your laptop has, they are useful as long as the battery is not dead.
In order to prevent the battery from running out, some users prefer to keep their laptop plugged in permanently so that in case of a power failure, they can still use their device for a few hours. Most of today's laptops come with lithium batteries that can hold or reduce the charge at the required speed and time.
In general, the battery is constantly active whenever we use the laptop, regardless of whether it is connected to electricity or not. Laptop batteries have a limited lifespan, which is measured in terms of charge cycles, or the number of times you charge and discharge the battery to its maximum capacity.
Thus, one of the most important factors determining the overall lifespan of your laptop battery is how you charge it. That is, whether you always plug it in or charge it only when needed.
How many hours a day is your laptop plugged in?
The laptop is permanently connected to the electricity
It is better to first get acquainted with the series of events that happen while the laptop is connected to the electricity. Usually, depending on when you connect them to the charger, your device may be in one of these three states. The first scenario is quite common. That is, when your laptop battery runs out or is about to run out, your device's battery will take a certain amount of time to fully charge, which is usually one to several hours.
So, naturally, it's perfectly safe to leave the laptop plugged in for as long as needed. Unless you're using a damaged or incompatible charger that could overheat the electrical circuits and disable your device.
The second scenario that happens to many users is that they leave the laptop plugged in for more hours than necessary. But does this habit harm the health of the battery?
Charging habits can affect battery health
The laptop is permanently connected to the electricity
Most of today's devices are smart enough to not receive power from the adapter and cut off the power supply to the battery cells. This process prevents overcharging. However, constant plugging into a power outlet may result in trickle charging, which is not good for the health of the device.
After the battery reaches 100%, the internal circuit will not receive power from the charger, which is a safety measure to prevent your laptop from exploding or catching fire. However, even when you are not using your device, your laptop can lose some charge and the moment it reaches 99%, the recharging process kicks in.
This cycle can continue depending on how long you leave your device plugged in. This process keeps the battery under constant load and increases its temperature, which can be harmful to the laptop battery.
Continuous trickle charging can increase the rate of battery degradation and reduce the operating time of the laptop when it is not connected to a power source. So if you want to rely on your laptop's battery often without plugging it in, you should only plug it in when you need a charger.
Constantly connecting the laptop to the electricity can be problematic
The third and worst scenario is when you don't unplug your laptop and use it all day on alternating current. Let's say you've replaced your desktop with a laptop, and all your device does is sit in a fixed location throughout the day. It doesn't matter what you use your device for, it's always plugged in and it's likely to stay at 100% charge, which can cause permanent damage.
Of course, plugging your laptop into power can be a convenient and safe option, but you should keep in mind that this will quickly reduce the battery's capacity to hold a charge. When you plug in a laptop, the battery not only has to charge itself, but also power the other components you're using at a given point. Thus, it is subjected to double pressure and simultaneously changes direction and heats up more than usual.
The laptop is permanently connected to the electricity
Although the above cases also happen when you connect your laptop to electricity only for charging; But keeping the laptop connected during the day increases the frequency, damages the battery and eliminates the possibility of analyzing its life based on the cycle. So what should be done to extend battery life?
How to increase the battery life of your laptop?
Although battery wear is an inevitable process, you can extend its life by following a few tips about charging and using your device. If your laptop is always plugged in, you can set a charge threshold for the battery. According to HP's recommendation , if you charge your laptop battery below 90% instead of 100%, you can increase its discharge cycle from 300 to 1000 additional charges.
How to set the charging threshold depends on the manufacturer of your laptop. For example, Lenovo offers a program called Lenovo Vantage that allows you to determine when to start and stop charging your battery. Similarly, Asus laptops also have a mode called "Maximum Life" that stops charging after 60%.
Other companies such as Dell, MSI and HP also offer their own power management settings. On the other hand, MacBooks have the Optimized Battery Charging feature, which learns your usage patterns and delays charging up to 100%.
For those who rely on their laptop's battery life, using a low power or low performance mode will help them get the most out of the battery. Also, taking care of the screen sleep timer and using the laptop with a lower screen brightness, especially indoors, are some other tips that can help you get the most out of your laptop battery.