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iPhone 12 Pro Better to use 5W brick overnight to maintain battery health?
- Thread starter trifona
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Try not to obsess about battery. When you get the phone, use it as you normally would. And if you plan to keep it for several years, get the battery changed when it needs to be, if you get to that point.
If you want to use a 5w charger that takes several hours, because you want to save a few percents over time, go right ahead. If the battery could not be replaced in iPhone, your question would be a crucial and valid one.
If you want to use a 5w charger that takes several hours, because you want to save a few percents over time, go right ahead. If the battery could not be replaced in iPhone, your question would be a crucial and valid one.
I had the battery replaced in my 6 at an Apple retail store 2.5 years ago. It was either botched or bad equipment. Phone got dangerously hot and shut down shortly thereafter. They gave me a new 6 as a result.
2.5 years later the battery in my 6 can barely provide 1-2 hours of screen time without needing to be charged. I'm glad I was able to wait as long as I did to upgrade, but baby sitting the battery this past year has been annoying to say the least.
During the day I typically keep it plugged into my MBP (so 15 watts there?). Trying to figure out the optimal situation with the 12 Pro; 5W + Lightning cable or 20W + Magsafe
2.5 years later the battery in my 6 can barely provide 1-2 hours of screen time without needing to be charged. I'm glad I was able to wait as long as I did to upgrade, but baby sitting the battery this past year has been annoying to say the least.
During the day I typically keep it plugged into my MBP (so 15 watts there?). Trying to figure out the optimal situation with the 12 Pro; 5W + Lightning cable or 20W + Magsafe
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slower charging is definitely better for the battery longevity.
And do not charge to 100% if you can avoid it.
I unplug when I notice it is above 93%.
I could make a Siri automation to notify me when it is 95%.
And do not charge to 100% if you can avoid it.
I unplug when I notice it is above 93%.
I could make a Siri automation to notify me when it is 95%.
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Yes if you slow charge at 5w most of the time, this will reduce heat and therefore wear and tear on the battery long term.
Keep in mind that after 50% it will only use 5w (or 7.5?) anyway. It’ll only fast charge (use higher watts) when charging at 0-50% - if you want optimal battery health, keep the charge between 25% and 85% - only charge it to 100% when you know you’re going to need a full charge (day trip or night out or something). Try to avoid it going below 20%.
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It doesn't matter how big of charger is connected to the iPhone once it hits 100% and it really doesn't matter how big the charger is when charging from about 87% up to 100%. The charging chip inside the phone starts lowering the current when the battery SOC reaches near full.
Once the battery charge hits 100%, it actually stops charging even when plugged in until the charge drops to about 96%. The battery charge indicator will still show 100% and the battery icon will still be green but actually the phone is slowly discharging and not charging at all - until it drops to 96% or so - then it'll resume charging again.
Once the battery charge hits 100%, it actually stops charging even when plugged in until the charge drops to about 96%. The battery charge indicator will still show 100% and the battery icon will still be green but actually the phone is slowly discharging and not charging at all - until it drops to 96% or so - then it'll resume charging again.
With all the advancements in mobile technology over the years, i am really shocked that there literally has been no progress in battery technology. We have had Lithium batteries for ever, which desperately needs to be replaced with something that can hold more electrons inside a smaller package that can last a week rather than 1-2 days at the most, and also not degrade in capacity over time.
If you’re asleep anyway then yeah might as well use the slow charger as it’ll be done by the time you’re awake. I do the same, run the 5w while sleeping.
I always charge to 100% every single day and my release day 11 is @ 100% still and my wife's release day XR charged to 100% daily is at 96%. Don't need to be paranoid.
Same. My 11Pro is charged every night using the 15W fast charger that came with it. Battery health is still 100% and it’s getting to be a year old.
The charging controls outlined in post #6 take all the hard work out of it. Don’t worry....it’s not the issue it was.
I believe there have been some advancements in battery tech, but I don’t think any of them have been shown to be produced at scale yet. If Apple had found a solution that worked and was scalable, I’m sure they would want to implement it not just on iPhones but on the watches and laptops too.
FWIW I still use the 5w charger overnight on my 11 Pro and plan to do the same on the 12 Max. Charging on a wire uses less electricity. The lower wattage is better for the battery. That’s my understanding from articles I’ve read. The electricity difference probably isn’t much but if you multiply by a billion iPhones it does make a difference.
My father bought the iPhone XS Max when it came out a couple of years ago. He only used the 5-watt charger that came with it. As of last week, his XS Max's battery health is only down to 98%. The phone is almost fully drained each day by around 10pm... and then charged back to 100% overnight. I think 98% is pretty good, no? I installed an app(iBackupBot) on my computer and connected his XS Max to it.. it showed that the phone's internal battery had already gone through 607 charging cycles. 
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new Simple Mobile iPhone XS MAX for less than $450 from Amazon.com(again, from Amazon itself, not 3rd party). I plan to also only charge it on the 5-watt charger. This is a locked phone and will be used as a spare phone only.
However, I'm picking up the 12 Pro on Friday. I already received the Apple 20-watt charger this morning.(sold and shipped directly from Amazon, not 3rd party seller)
I'm no so sure if I want to fast charge the 12 Pro regularly. Will probably only charge it with my spare Apple 5-watt charger... if I need to charge up the phone quickly, then I'll connect it to the 20-watt charger as needed.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a new Simple Mobile iPhone XS MAX for less than $450 from Amazon.com(again, from Amazon itself, not 3rd party). I plan to also only charge it on the 5-watt charger. This is a locked phone and will be used as a spare phone only.
However, I'm picking up the 12 Pro on Friday. I already received the Apple 20-watt charger this morning.(sold and shipped directly from Amazon, not 3rd party seller)
I'm no so sure if I want to fast charge the 12 Pro regularly. Will probably only charge it with my spare Apple 5-watt charger... if I need to charge up the phone quickly, then I'll connect it to the 20-watt charger as needed.
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FWIW:
5 days a week my iPhone is charged when I plug it into CarPlay for about 35 minutes two times a day. For 2 days a week I charge either through a USB electrical outlet in my kitchen, through a standard iPhone charging brick, or through a bigger iPad-style charging brick, plus the occasional short charge in the car with CarPlay. My battery health on my iPhone 11 currently sits at 100%.
So, either the measure of battery health is not exactly accurate or the standard battery optimization charging methods wouldn’t have done anything to improve it in my case. Just my personal experience and it will obviously be different for everyone.
5 days a week my iPhone is charged when I plug it into CarPlay for about 35 minutes two times a day. For 2 days a week I charge either through a USB electrical outlet in my kitchen, through a standard iPhone charging brick, or through a bigger iPad-style charging brick, plus the occasional short charge in the car with CarPlay. My battery health on my iPhone 11 currently sits at 100%.
So, either the measure of battery health is not exactly accurate or the standard battery optimization charging methods wouldn’t have done anything to improve it in my case. Just my personal experience and it will obviously be different for everyone.
Just live your life. Worst case you're out like $100 replacing the battery through Apple. No biggie.
and remember - Apple has zero interest in having the battery inside the iPhone outlast the useful life of the phone.
Given how long iPhones can be useful for, it doesn't seem like batteries would really be outlasting that.
I go back and forth between a 12 Watt and 30 Watt charger. I’ve have no problem with battery longevity. The only time I’ve ever replaced a battery was when Apple had the $29 deal. I usually get a new phone every 2-3 years.
This type of question comes up on the Tesla forums all the time too. Bottom line, I don’t think there would be a material difference to battery longevity between 5w and 18-20w chargers. As others have mentioned, the PMU already throttles the charging speed after the battery reaches a certain percentage (and presumably if the battery reaches a certain temperature). And there are negatives to slow charging as well (lower efficiency, etc). I suspect discharging the battery below 15% and charging it to above 90% on a regular basis has a bigger impact on longevity than any difference between a 5 and 20w charger. But, who’s going to commit to never fully charging and never going below 15%? With a maximum phone lifespan of a couple years before being replaced with newer tech, there’s no need to take such measures.