What effect does 120W fast charging have on the battery? Why does it degrade faster?
Ultra-fast charging, such as 120W, is becoming commonplace in smartphones, but it also comes with a significant concern. Fast charging puts so much pressure on the battery that it degrades much faster than normal. The question now becomes stronger: are the benefits of fast charging outweighing battery life?
Nowadays, many smartphone companies claim fast charging of 120W or more, which can charge your phone from 0 to 100% in just a few minutes. But does such high-speed charging shorten your battery life?
So, before purchasing a smartphone with ultra-fast charging, you should understand the advantages and disadvantages of fast charging phones.
Why is backup less?
120W fast charging puts high heat and voltage stress on the battery. Repeated use of fast charging rapidly reduces battery life. Research suggests that fast charging reduces battery cycles.
In fact, ultra-fast charging puts more thermal stress on the battery, which can accelerate its degradation. This is why users often experience diminishing battery life after just a few months.
What is the harm of 120W fast charging?
High-wattage chargers, such as 120W, send very high current through the battery, putting a heavy load on the lithium-ion cells inside. This process accelerates the electrochemical reactions in the battery abnormally.
Faster reactions mean more heat, more stress, and faster battery degradation. This causes the battery's health to deteriorate rapidly and its charge-holding capacity to decrease.
The heat rising due to fast charging is the biggest enemy of the battery.
Heat has the greatest impact on the life of lithium-ion batteries. During 120W charging, the phone's temperature rises much faster than with a standard charger.
When a battery overheats, the cells inside it deteriorate faster and their capacity decreases. Several tests show that batteries used in high heat conditions can become damaged 20 to 30% faster than normal batteries.
Affects charging cycles
Every battery has a limited number of charging cycles, after which its capacity begins to decline. Fast charging further shortens this cycle because ultra-fast charging continuously forces the battery into a high state-of-charge, which is not good for the battery chemistry. As a result, battery health begins to drop to 90% or below within 8-12 months of use.
What is the correct way to use it
Don't use fast charging on a regular basis. Use a 120W charger only when needed urgently; other times, it's best to charge at a regular 10W-30W speed.
Avoid charging overnight, and avoid gaming or heavy use while charging. To maximize battery life, it's safest to always keep the battery between 20% and 80%.