WHAT THE BATTERY DATA SAYS
Every tablet battery slowly loses capacity.
Lithium-ion cells age with use, with time and with heat. Lab tests show the pace depends a lot on how warm the battery gets and how long it sits at a full charge, which is partly up to you.
KEEP IT COOL and not always full
THE SHORT ANSWER
Cycling, heat and time all age lithium-ion.
Two of those you can influence.
HEAT
Battery University counts above 30°C as elevated temperature. Heat hastens permanent capacity loss.
Check a habitCHARGE
Lithium-ion has no memory. Smaller discharges mean more cycles, so topping up between uses is fine.
See the numbersSAFETY
London Fire Brigade says use the charger that came with the device, never cover a charging device and do not leave it plugged in after it is full.
Charging habitsA QUICK STORAGE CHECK
Pick a storage condition to see the estimated capacity a lithium-ion battery keeps. The bar shows how much stress the battery is under.
Estimates for cobalt-based lithium-ion stored for a year, from Battery University (BU-808). Not all lithium-ion batteries behave the same.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
One figure on battery life,
one on charging fires in London.
300–500 cycles
Typical specified life in consumer products
Manufacturers take a conservative approach and specify most consumer lithium-ion batteries for 300 to 500 discharge and charge cycles.
CYCLE LIFE · BATTERY UNIVERSITY
24 a week
Fires a week started by chargers, batteries and cables
London Fire Brigade says it attends on average 24 fires each week started by chargers, batteries and cables.
FIRES · LONDON FIRE BRIGADE
A 2023 Chalmers University study of high-energy cells found that cathode degradation dominated when elevated temperature was combined with cycling to a high state of charge, beyond 50%.
FOUR HABITS TO TRY
None of these needs an app. They come from battery lab data and London Fire Brigade's charging advice.
Avoid leaving a tablet in direct sun or a hot car, and avoid storing, using or charging batteries at very high or low temperatures.
The smaller the discharge, the longer the battery lasts. Partial charges are fine and do not need a full discharge to reset.
Do not leave a device continuously on charge after the charge is complete, and never cover a device or charger while it charges.
Use the charger that came with the tablet, or a genuine replacement from a supplier you trust.
IF IT SWELLS
Batteries can be a fire risk when over-charged, short-circuited, submerged in water or damaged. Protect them from being crushed, punctured or soaked.
If a battery starts swelling or expanding, London Fire Brigade says stop charging immediately, turn the device off, do not open the casing, and contact the manufacturer or a certified technician.
Questions
Battery University says manufacturers typically specify consumer lithium-ion batteries for 300 to 500 discharge and charge cycles, although cycle counts vary with how deeply the battery is discharged.
No. Lithium-ion has no memory, and smaller discharges give more cycles. Partial charging is fine.
Holding a lithium-ion battery at a full charge is a source of stress, especially when warm. In Battery University's estimates a full battery at 25°C keeps about 80% after a year, against 96% at 40% charge.
London Fire Brigade advises not leaving devices continuously on charge after the charge cycle is complete, and never covering a device while it charges.
Stop charging, turn the device off, do not open the casing and contact the manufacturer or a certified technician, says London Fire Brigade.
Sources
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