Can Wireless Charging Damage Your Smartphone?

Wireless charging is incredibly convenient, but is it actually damaging your smartphone battery in the process?

If you are investing in a flagship smartphone, chances are you are also looking to pick up a wireless charger. After all, wireless charging is quickly becoming the norm as it is convenient.

But despite its convenience, some people are still afraid of adopting the tech. One quick look around the internet reveals that people are worried about wireless charging damaging their phone's battery.

So, is wireless charging safe for your phone's battery? Let's look.

How Does Wireless Charging Work?

Wireless charging in today's smartphones uses electromagnetic induction to transfer electric energy from the charger to the smartphone. Electromagnetic induction is a phenomenon by which a rapidly changing magnetic field produces electric energy in a closed loop that interacts with that magnetic field.

Let's take the example of wirelessly charging a smartphone. For wireless charging to work, you need a phone that supports wireless charging and a compatible wireless charger. In this case, both the charger and the phone will have copper coils. When you place a compatible smartphone on a wireless charger, a rapidly changing magnetic field interacts with the copper coil present inside the smartphone, inducing an electric current. The electric current produced is then used to charge the battery.

This form of wireless charging where two copper coils are placed in direct proximity is called tightly-coupled electromagnetic inductive charging. But, as the name suggests, for this type of wireless charging to work, the copper coils must align. In other words, if you fail to place your smartphone on the pad correctly, it won't charge. Other forms of wireless charging technologies aim to solve this problem.

Loosely-coupled resonance charging can deliver a charge up to a few centimeters away, while Radio Frequency-based charging can charge gadgets wirelessly at distances exceeding a few feet. With RF charging, you might be able to charge your phone without going anywhere near a charger in the near future.

Is Wireless Charging Bad For Your Smartphone?

Wireless charging is not bad for your smartphone. It is just a myth. People who believe that wireless charging damages a smartphone's battery point out that wireless charging generates more heat than wired charging.

While that is true to some extent, the heat produced by wireless charging is manageable by your smartphone. And it certainly does so.

Related: Myths and Misconceptions About Charging Your Phone Debunked

Heat Output From Wireless Charging

Wireless charging produces more heat than conventional wired charging because of how it works. One side effect of electromagnetic induction is excessive heat generation. For instance, induction cookers use the heat generated by electromagnetic induction to heat the cookware.

So, if not properly managed, the heat generated by wireless charging can damage your smartphone. Thankfully, wireless charging standards like Qi have strict guidelines to deal with this problem.

First, any qualifying Qi-certified wireless charger must regulate the charging speed to manage heat. For instance, if a Qi-certified wireless charger detects that excessive heat is being generated, it will reduce charging speeds. Lower energy output equals lower heat, so your phone will remain safe.

Second, during charging, whether wired or wireless, the battery itself doesn't heat up. In the case of wireless charging, only the copper coil inside the phone heats up. So, as long as the heat is contained and doesn't exceed safe limits, it poses no direct threat to your smartphone battery.

In short, although wireless charging does produce marginally more heat than wired charging, it doesn't pose a threat to your phone's battery.

Effect of Wireless charging on battery Charge Cycles

Wireless charging doesn't affect battery charge cycles any more than regular wired charging, as battery charge cycles have nothing to do with the form of charging you are using. It only has to do with the frequency of charging.

If you charge your phone multiple times a day, no matter the charging tech you use, you will notice a significant reduction in the battery charge cycles left.

Related: Here's Why Your iPhone Stops Charging at 80%

Put simply, wireless charging will not harm your phone's battery. Just don't run around plopping your smartphone down on the charging pad whenever the battery drops a few percentage points.

Is Wireless Charging Less Efficient Than Wired Charging?

Wireless charging is less efficient than wired charging but the overall power consumption. Testing performed by Eric Ravenscraft of OneZero found that wireless charging uses on an average 47% more power than wired charging.

The added power consumption won't register on your power bills for a single wireless charger. But, according to iFixit, if all smartphone users in the world switched to wireless charging, it would require the construction of almost 73 small-sized coal power plants globally. Building this many coal power plants would have a significant environmental impact.

In other words, you can charge your phone wirelessly without seeing any increase in your electricity bills. But a worldwide shift to wireless charging would be less than ideal.

Does Keeping a Smartphone Fully Charged Decrease Battery Health?

Keeping your phone fully charged puts the battery under increased stress, resulting in faster degradation. According to BatteryUniversity, a partial charge increases the life of Li-ion batteries that are inside out smartphones.

Experts suggest keeping your phone's battery charged between 20% and 80%. Ideally, you should never fully charge or fully discharge your smartphone since it puts the battery under strain, decreasing the battery's eventual lifespan.

Does Fast Charging Decrease Battery Health?

Fast Charging doesn't decrease battery health as much as some people may have you believe. Of course, there is an inherent negative effect of fast charging on batteries because of the excessive amount of heat it produces.

Related: Is Fast Charging Bad for Battery Life

However, smartphone makers pack in protections with the fast charging tech to make it safe, so it doesn't damage the battery. One such protection is the dynamic charging rate.

For instance, almost all fast charging techniques use the peak charging speed to charge the battery to 50% in as little time as possible. The charging speed then drops significantly to charge the rest. This is done to keep the excessive heat output from damaging the battery.

The 5 Best Ways to Preserve Your Smartphone Battery's Health

Modern smartphone batteries are typically rated for 500 charge cycles. In most cases, you will need to replace the battery after a few years of use. You can, however, implement some simple habits to make the battery last a while longer.

1. Keep your phone's battery between 20% and 80%.
2. Don't let the battery drop to zero frequently.
3. Try to minimize your smartphone's exposure to extreme weather.
4. Invest in good-quality charging pads, cables, and bricks.
5. Try to minimize fast charging use.

Do all the above, and your smartphone battery is sure to last a while.

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