inBUSINESS Issue 15

percent before topping it up again. While
you’re charging it back up, you should
also avoid pushing a lithium-ion battery
all the way to 100 percent.
If you do fill your battery all the way
up, don’t leave the device plugged in.
Instead, follow the shallow discharge
and recharge cycle we just mentioned.
This isn’t a safety issue: Lithium-ion
batteries have built-in safeguards
designed to stop them from exploding if
they’re left charging while at maximum
capacity. But in the long term,
electronics will age faster if they’re
constantly plugged in while already
charged to 100 percent.
Although shallow charges and
discharges hit the longevity sweet
spot, there are exceptions to this rule.
Once a month, let the battery undergo
a full discharge to about 5 percent,
just to recalibrate its self-assessment.
This mechanism allows your laptop or
smartphone to give you an “estimated
battery time remaining” reading that’s
somewhat accurate. Regular full
discharges aren’t a good idea though.
In general, you should be keeping your
battery above 20 percent, according to
Samsung.
These are all guidelines, by the way:
There’s nothing dangerous about
keeping your phone charged overnight,
and modern phones and laptops include
mechanisms for minimizing the strain on
the battery if your device is plugged in
all the time. Fortunately for users, small
tweaks and improvements are made to
the technology each year, so every time
you upgrade your smartphone, you’re
getting a lithium-ion battery that should
go further between charges and last
longer overall.
Storage and general care
Something else lithium-ion batteries
don’t like are extreme temperatures.
Whenever possible, you should avoid
leaving phones and laptops in hot
cars or in chilly rooms, because these
temperature extremes won’t do their
batteries’ lifespans any favors. You
should particularly watch out for
overheating during charging—though if
your phone or laptop manufacturer has
done its job, this shouldn’t be an issue.
As another precaution, you should
also make sure you’re using the official
charger that came bundled with your
phone or tablet, or you should invest
in an exact replacement. This will
guarantee that the charger is safe to
use with your device’s battery, and
optimized to charge it as efficiently as
possible. The official charger will apply
the best practices for your battery’s
general health.
Make sure your phone avoids extreme
temperatures.
If you’re going to be storing your laptop
or smartphone for an extended period
of time, you should leave the gadget
with a charge somewhere around 50
percent, as recommended by Apple and
other sources. Switch your device off
while you store it, and as we mentioned
earlier, make sure to keep it in a
Goldilocks spot: not too hot and not too
cold.
The documentation that comes with
your device should include more tips
and advice, so read through it all
carefully for any extra guidelines on
treating your batteries as kindly as
possible. Apply this little bit of extra
care, and you should find the battery
inside your phone or laptop lasting at
least until you’re ready for an upgrade.
On this auspicious occasion, the Board and Staff of BOCONGO wish
His Excellency the President Lieutenant General Dr Ian Khama Seretse
Khama, his Government and the gallant people of Botswana a very
Propitious and Happy Independence
Happy 51st Independence Day
www.inbusiness.co.bw | Issue 15 | 2017 37