5 Common Filipino Bad Habits on Device Charging

In today’s technology where almost every 6 months, we can see improvements like batteries. But until now, we Filipinos seem to be stuck with precautionary practices to protect our gadgets with standards we were following four years ago. Perhaps this is due to the trust rate of consumers with sellers in malls or just plain lack of information about our gadgets. But now here in Team Tech Squad, we will give you some knowledge, straight up some wrong practices that you should stop since it only deteriorates the battery of our gadgets.

Currently in the market for gadgets, there are two types of batteries; Li-On (Lithium Ion) and Li-Polymer (Lithium Polymer). Both batteries now have anti-overcharging features that cuts the electricity to the battery to avoid any battery deterioration. The main difference of the two is the lifespan of charging where Li-On can take around 300-400 charges before failing and the Li-Polymer can take 500 to 800 charges before failing down its charge capacity. Of course the Li-Polymer is more expensive to produce and must not be removed into the gadget, thus why you see more devices now with non-removable batteries. This is also a good reason why some brands can lower the prices as they use Li-On only.

Here are 5 common situations Filipinos love to do but wrong:

1. I have a brand new device and I was said to do an initial charging for 12 hours once the device is empty battery? –True but not 12 hours, charge your phone only up to 6 hours

Filipino version : “Ma’am paki charge muna po ng 12 hours pagka-low battery bago niyo gamitin” – Salesman

In the old days of phones like the 3310, 3210, 5110 and more, we oftenly charge up to 12 hours of initial charging. Back then we were using Nickel-based batteries that needs every cell to be charged accurately. Unfortunately before, the technology against overcharging was not a standard, thus it was frequent in the news before about batteries exploding in the room while sleeping or even charging in the car. Today since we are now using Li-Ion and Li-Polymer batteries in our phones that only requires up to 6 hours of initial charging, note that this is only a precautionary measure since technically once the battery is fully charge it will direct the current to the cellphone to avoid any overcharging.

2. My laptop is already 100% I should disconnect it from the charger? NO! NO! NO!

Filipino version : “Full charge na laptop ko, tangalin ko na sa charge baka sumabog laptop ko” – Macbook User

A lot of Filipinos today are so conscious about their battery that once it reaches 100% they immediately remove or disconnect it from the charger. Again the new batteries today have overcharging features that protects the battery, so you don’t need to unplug and drain again your battery. So they are actually making the battery charge more which results to faster battery failure as a normal Li-On battery can only take up to 300-400 charges before failing. So its 100% okay to keep the charger plugged into the laptop especially when you are going to use it over 8 hours like while working or you are on a series marathon. BUT keep in mind that it also depends on your usage, if you’re the heavy laptop user where the fan is really hot while doing work, then you need a laptop cooler to avoid the battery getting any hotter.

3. I should always charge below 10%? – No

Filipino version : “Nay! 10% na battery mo! Charge ko na ba?” – si bunso

Unlike Nickel-based batteries before where each cell must be awake, Li-On cells are more dynamic and independent. You can charge even if its 30% or even 50% but do remember that heat is a factor why batteries fail faster since the cells are unstable in temperatures. So technically more frequent charging is okay as long as you don’t make the phone too hot.

4. Can I use my Samsung Charger for my Apple? – No and why?

Filipino version : “Pahiram ng charger naiwan ko yung sakin eh” – Classmate

Each battery has different current and voltage requirements which we have to follow to asssure we charge the battery to the safest way possible. In a charger, we have the indicator of how many amperes is one smartphone is recommended to receive. Example is an official iphone charger which can receive 1.0 amp whereas a Samsung S5 charger can receive 2.0 amps, which means the Samsung is twice faster in charging. If you use the Galaxy S5 charger to the iPhone 5S the result will be more electricity charging the phone which can either reject the current due to overload or can handle the current but heats up faster. Either way, you should not charge above the suggested charging rate as it can lead to faster battery deterioration due to the excessive heat.

5. Cool cable! It’s flat and colorful! – Don’t!

Filipino version : “Bili tayo nito, cute pag nagcha-charge, para hindi baduy magdala ng powerbank” – Kikay / Fashionista

It may be cute and colorful but most cables bought for 100 to 200 pesos especially the colorful ones don’t carry enough wire density to carry even 1.0A of charging rate. So technically you’re making your charging time even longer and worse is that you are wasting time. Its recommended to use the original charger and cable of your device. if not, its okay to invest on a good cable that is well dense so it can charge your device faster.

Extra question

6. How about powerbanks are they safe? Depends on what you are using and how you use it.

Filipino version : “Uy oh! Powerbank mura lang Ferrari pa!” – Smartphone junkie

Powerbanks can be tricky, china manufacturers even cheat on their customers by delivering lower amperes of charge even though it says on the label that it has 1.0A or 2.0A. Also you have to be aware of the ampere of your device before charging, just remember that BOTH your device and powerbank will produce heat if you are charging so technically you’re making the batteries deteriorate faster. Our suggestion is that to always use the 1.0A output to avoid unnecessary heat.

Overall we Filipinos are always fond of taking advice from what is usually practiced, sometimes we tend to follow malpractices because of this. Just be reminded that don’t go above the suggested voltage and ampere, avoid heat in charging and avoid charging frequently to avoid your battery dying in less than a year. it is advised to buy branded or legitimate powerbanks to avoid unstabe charging incidents.