It seems that no matter where you go, everyone has a cell phone in their hand.
It isn’t just for making phone calls, but it also serves as a way to quickly message someone, to play games, and even to complete online banking.
Given how popular cell phone use is and how crucial it is to plenty of daily activities, it can be painful when the phone dies.
It always seems that the battery dies at the worst possible moments, too.
This led us to ask, how long does a cell phone battery charge last?
We’ll talk about that here and also highlight the variables that impact how long the charge will last.
Lithium-Ion Batteries in Cell Phones
Every type of cell phone uses a lithium-ion battery to run and operate.
Those batteries are rechargeable and only need to be plugged into a power source once drained.
This allows the battery to recharge enough to operate again.
Generally speaking, lithium-ion batteries do have a kind of expiration date in that they are only good for a specific number of charges.
With that said, the majority of cell phones tend to last anywhere from 18 months to three years.
That longevity depends on several factors, though, including how often the phone is used.
What Is a Standby Charge?
If a phone is set to standby mode, it can last a longer amount of time.
In most cases, a phone that is set to standby can usually last up to three full days.
This, again, depends on the kind of phone that you have.
It also depends on the number and type of applications that are loaded on the phone.
A standby charge is basically when you are not using your phone for anything, whether that be talking, playing a game, or text messaging.
The phone is on but is not being used for any task.
As a phone gets older, it will last a shorter amount of time while in standby mode.
However, most of the phones today tend to have a universal standby time that ranges anywhere from two to five days.
What Is Official Talk Time?
The official talk time of a cell phone refers to the actual amount of time the phone can be used for talking before the battery dies.
The phones that are most popular today have higher talk-time charges.
For example, the majority of today’s models offer anywhere between five and seven hours of official talk time on a single battery charge.
That official talk time includes other applications, as well.
Some of the most popular of these applications include things like taking photos and sending text messages.
How Long Does a Cell Phone Battery Charge Last
There are plenty of things that will impact how long a cell phone battery charge will last. Here are the most common ones:
Applications
Talk times are not the primary concern when it comes to draining your phone battery.
Rather, applications can actually dram your battery much faster than actually talking on your phone.
Those applications can include anything from playing music and videos to playing video games.
It can also include things as simple as searching the internet or scrolling through social media platforms.
All of those applications will drain your phone pretty quickly, and the more applications you have open simultaneously, the faster your battery will drain.
Battery Age
Another factor that will impact your phone battery charge is the actual age of the battery.
Many consumers find that their phone battery seems to die faster the older the phone gets.
That is to say that, over time, consumers find that they have to recharge their phones far more often.
This is true, and you will likely see it happen with yours if you already have it for a couple of years.
This quicker battery drain can usually be attributed to the lithium-ion battery breaking down over time.
A battery will usually start to lose its ability to charge sometime after 18 months of use.
That deterioration also depends on the frequency of use, but most people tend to use their phones in some capacity every day.
Top Five Myths Regarding Cell Phone Battery Charge
Now that you know how long you should expect your battery to last and what factors are most likely to have an impact on it, we can look at the top myths about your phone battery.
There are five myths that plenty of consumers believe to be true but have actually been debunked.
Myth #1: Drain the battery completely.
Plenty of cell phone users think that they should drain their battery completely before charging it up again.
You don’t need to do this. In fact, you should not do this.
The truth is that you should charge your phone whenever you have a charger nearby.
Every cell phone battery has a specific number of charge cycles available.
Those cycles include the number of times you are able to charge all the way up to 100% and run down all the way to 0%.
For example, an iPhone will give you somewhere between 400 and 500 cycles.
However, that does not mean that you can only plug the phone in a total of 500 times.
It just means that you have only 500 opportunities to allow the phone to go from a full charge to totally dead at 0%.
That means that if you allow your battery to drain all the way to 0% every day, it is only going to last you a total of 500 days.
On the flip side, if you charge your phone before it completely drains, you will extend those 500 charges.
By doing so, you’ll get your phone’s battery to last much longer.
There is really only one reason why you would ever want your phone battery to drain completely.
This is when the phone dies, but the battery icon still shows a positive charge.
In this instance, your battery will need to be recalibrated. To do so, you need to charge it again.
Myth #2: Don’t charge it overnight.
Some consumers think that you should not charge your phone overnight, but this is another myth.
It is completely fine to charge your phone overnight.
It’s actually a pretty effective way to make sure you will have a full battery to start your day.
This myth is an old one, so it can be hard to break.
It is rooted in the times when nickel-ion batteries were being used in phones.
At the time, phones had what was called a memory charge.
If you did not fully drain the battery, your phone would somehow forget the part of the battery that hadn’t been used.
This isn’t an issue today since the cell phones now use lithium-ion batteries.
These batteries do not have a memory loss, so they are able to manage their own power.
You can plug in your phone, and it will stop the charge once the battery has reached a full 100%.
You do not need to be awake to detach your phone, too.
Since you do not run the risk of overcharging your phone, it is perfectly acceptable to charge it overnight.
Myth #3: Don’t use the phone while it's charging.
It is not dangerous to use your phone while it is plugged in and charging.
This particular myth is grounded in the fear that the phone’s battery will overheat.
The only time you really need to be concerned is in the event that there is a manufacturer defect in the lithium-ion battery, but that is quite rare.
With that said, you do want to pay attention if your phone seems to be getting too warm.
That warmth isn’t exclusive to just when charging either.
If you notice your phone getting really warm or hot during charging or at any other time, you want to have it checked as soon as possible.
It is always a possibility that the battery can be defective.
You should also look out for one more thing, and that is chargers that are counterfeit.
You need to make sure you have a cable that is approved by the manufacturer.
All charging cables have chips in them, and if you use one that is counterfeit, you could completely damage the phone.
That means you should really only be using chargers or power banks that are from a trusted source, even if they do cost a bit more.
At least, then, you won’t damage your phone and need to pay to repair or replace it.
Myth #4: Save power by killing applications.
This just isn’t true.
If you are constantly killing and then restarting your applications, you are actually using more power and resources when compared to just allowing the application to remain in the background.
There are other ways to save power, which we’ll address later on.
Myth #5: Make the battery last forever by charging correctly.
Batteries will always need to be replaced.
In fact, they are considered one of the weakest spots in our phones.
As phone batteries age, they simply lose their ability to hold a charge.
Even if you have cycles left, you might only get 60% or 70% capacity out of your phone and its battery.
There are apps you can download that will measure the wear on your phone’s battery.
If it's excessive, you can always replace the battery to help your phone last longer.
Power Saving Tips
There are a few tips you can follow to help get the most out of our cell phone battery.
Tip #1: Lower power mode/battery saver feature.
If you are using an iPhone, you can manually switch to the low power mode.
You can do this right in the control panel. Just toggle the battery symbol.
If you don’t have it in your control center on your phone, you can add it by going to your settings.
On the other hand, if you have an Android device, you can do the same by using the battery saver feature.
Take note that different devices within the Android family will have a different name for this feature.
For example, it is called the Ultra Power Saving Mode on Samsung devices but then is called Power Saver Mode on an LG device.
They all function similarly.
Tip #2: Stay up to date.
If you are an Android user, it is important that you stay up to date on your operating system.
There is what is called the Doze Mode introduced on Android 6.0.
This allows you to shut down certain services so that you can conserve the life left in your battery.
Tip #3: Use airplane mode/turn off while charging.
If you are trying to charge your phone quickly, do not have applications refreshing, and don’t have your screen on.
That will cause your phone to charge at half its speed.
If you’d like it to charge up faster, you should put it in airplane mode or turn it off completely.
It is also faster to charge using a wall plug than it is charging through a car charger or computer.
Tip #4: Keep your phone at a certain percentage.
Lithium-ion batteries like to be anywhere between 30% and 80% charged.
This will keep the battery lasting as long as possible.
In general, the life of a lithium-ion battery tends to worsen if the battery is consistently kept very low or very high.
Final Thoughts
Everyone today has a smartphone.
They are incredibly useful not only for talking and texting but also for performing what used to be mundane tasks reserved for a computer.
This includes things like paying bills or online banking.
Smartphones can also be used to pass the time by playing video games or scrolling through social media apps.
Now, you can walk around with a computer in your hand.
However, because we use smartphones for everything today, you want to help your battery to last as long as possible.
Thankfully, you now know how long does a cell phone battery charge last, so you can plan your day.
In addition to that, we’ve talked about not only the longevity you can expect from your phone’s battery but also several tips to keep it running for as long as possible.