Why is my phone battery draining so fast?

What is normal battery life? 

Nowadays most smartphones are equipped with lithium-ion batteries. Battery life is measured in milliampere-hours (mAh) – the more milliampere-hours, the longer the device is able to work. For the newest phones the battery capacity is approximately 4000 – 7000 milliampere-hours which means that a phone should last at least one day (8-10 hours) without the need for charging. The specific battery life of a phone depends on the phone model and various device specifications, for example, it is influenced by the screen size, resolution, frequency of image updating, and technologies used on a screen, as well as the characteristics of the device processor, software efficiency etc. The usage of the phone is another variable for the length of battery life – how actively and frequently the device is being used, display brightness settings and what functions or apps work in the background. The battery will discharge quicker if higher screen brightness is being used and a large number of apps are open at the same time. It should also be noted that a battery of a new device will work better than one in a device that has been used for some time, as the working capacity during its life gradually decreases, which is based on irreversible chemical processes in the battery itself. 

Battery life of the most popular smartphones in Latvia (mAh):

What affects battery life? 

Although a battery can be charged and discharged hundreds of times, it will gradually deprecate and lose its original working capacity.  Unfortunately, the technologies used in currently manufactured batteries are not ideal, causing irreversible processes to gradually impact the battery. This is considered to be a limitation in the existing technologies, which provide fast and high-volume energy storage, but are not able to ensure the immutability of the battery performance during long-term use. These or other types of limitations are characteristic of all battery technologies used. It is possible to maintain the working capacity of the battery for a longer time period if the battery manufacturer’s recommendations regarding battery charging/discharging and device usage are being followed. The factors that contribute the most to rapid decrease of battery capacity in the long term are elevated battery temperature and continuous charging of the battery to 100% (continuously being plugged to the charger). 

However, if you find that the battery of your new phone is discharging at an unexpectedly fast pace, it is highly unlikely that the battery is defective or worn out, the cause most likely could be found elsewhere: 

1. Most often most of the battery is spent by the screen, especially if it is used with high brightness settings. It is advisable to switch on automatic brightness adjusting or reduce brightness manually, however, if this seems inconvenient, instead of reducing brightness you can switch the screen settings to dark mode (the background of applications will be black instead of white), which allows you to save battery.

2. Faster battery discharge can be also caused by various applications. For example, if an app is often running in background or is often synchronizing data or performing other actions – it can cause faster battery discharge. At times third party apps have flaws, that can cause faster battery discharging or other problems. In device settings it is possible to see which applications in the last few days or weeks have spent the most battery and if it seems that one of the apps has consumed an unexpected amount, it is advised to uninstall these apps or change their settings. 

3. Of course, the more you use the device, the faster the battery will discharge. If you’re used to spending your free time playing games, watching Youtube videos or watching a Twitch stream and browsing Twitter in split screen mode, you should be prepared that the battery will drain quickly. 

4. It is advisable to use Wi-Fi networks instead of mobile data in cases when the necessary actions require usage of a large amount of data (watching videos, making video calls, downloading large files or downloading or updating apps), this also is one way how to save some battery life. It is also advisable to set gallery sync time with cloud services during the night, as in such cases you won’t have to worry if it’s needlessly using up the remaining battery. 

How to know when it’s time to change the battery? 

Sometimes battery life is affected not by phone usage or any external factors, but by the battery itself. As a device is aging, the battery is deprecating with it and will no longer have the same longevity as it did at the beginning. The moment when the battery will not be able to provide the original, maximum capacity depends on the device usage, but on average it happens after two to three years and will be indicated by noticeably faster battery discharge periods. Lithium-ion batteries, which are used in phones, can also provide other indications that its lifespan is nearing end, for example, a swollen battery or a battery that remains overheated for long periods of time can indicate battery overload. Another indicator of a faulty battery can be sudden shutdown of the phone, especially if it is observed at low temperatures. If the battery is swollen it is advised to replace it as soon as possible so as not to cause damage to other device components. 

When a phone with defective battery is sent to us, we will perform diagnostics and after finding out the extent of the damage will contact you to inform on what actions are required in the repair process and how much it would cost, it is also possible to check the approximate repair costs before the repair by yourself. It is important to note that battery replacement, as well as any other maintenance and repairs will be carried out in accordance with the instructions of the device manufacturer, using certified tools, the most suitable methods, modern equipment and of course, original spare parts, as we are an authorizes service centre of the leading smart device manufacturers.