Use phone until dead VS Charge before starting.

[mister_tu]

Mikewashere!!!!

 

[jcarless]

As others have said, lithium ion batteries don't need to be run through cycles to make them have full efficiency as stated elsewhere on this forum.
It is helpful to fully charge it then let it fully drain so that the phone can calibrate how much power the battery has.
Lithium ion batteries degrade fastest if fully charged and at high temperatures. If a lithium battery discharges too much it may no longer be functional.
Therefore, batteries are shipped with a partial charge. Lithium ion batteries do not typically leak over time, ie they do not lose charge over time when not used.

Bottom line: Its not a huge deal either way. Ideally charge it up, let it drain fully to let the phone calibrate.

Finally a straight answer!

 

[Adamx]

It can make a big difference based on that article. Keep your phone cool and don't let it run down all the way. That's going to be my goals.

 

[mmisterio]

by drain fully do you mean don't charge until the phone shuts itself off from low battery?

 

[jamor]

It sounds like we somewhat coming to a consensus.

It's not that big a deal as the Sticky on this forum makes it out to be that it HAS to be fully charged out of the box for optimal battery life.

I will take it out to activate it and check it out for just a little bit and then I'll throw it on the charger.

Good article though.

 

[AcePuppy]

by drain fully do you mean don't charge until the phone shuts itself off from low battery?

Yes, until it shuts off. Usually when I get a new phone I let it fully charge, let it drain to about 20-30% turn it off fully charge it and then let it drain fully and do a full charge. Gives it a chance to charge once or twice before it calibrates. That's just my way of doing it.

 

[malice]

I am charging out of the box right now. Its approaching 3 hours with USB. Anyone elses going that long? I guess its a good thing.

Cheap insurance btw. If it cant hurt, then it cant hurt.

 

[czm2000]

The same article also has this to say:
"To prevent failure, never store the battery fully discharged. Apply some charge before storage, and then charge fully before use."

That would seem to apply to a new battery as well. Likely, the manufacturer charged it to some minimal capacity before packaging. You could consider the time between then and the receipt of your incredible as storage. It may not be absolutely required. But I plan to charge it for about 5 hours before any use.

This makes the most sense to me.

 

[gijoe411]

Uh, the manual says "charge fully before using" so I charged fully before using. I'd like to think the manufacturer knows what's best for it's own creations...

 

[80sarcade]

But how long for that first charge, this is killing me... almost four hours now.

For those with a DI, how long was the first charge?
Thanks.

 

[thead73]

i have been using litium batterys in hobby stuff for almost ten years. the cells dont really have memory but they can be really hurt by over discharge if the cell goes below 3volts it will be damaged, luckily the phone shuts off before the battery gets that low. a lipoly is fully charged at 4.2 volts and its nominal is 3.7 volts. most phones only have 1 cell but in hobby stuff u can have 2 thru 6 cells for higher voltage or larger MAH. i have special chargers to keep the cells in balance when u have 2 or more cells in series. bottom line these phones only have 1 cell (3.7 volts) and u cant really hurt them to much so charge/use away. they are very cheap to replace ($10. off ebay) when they wear out.
look what happens if you short a lipo battery
YouTube - Lithium Polymer Battery Explosion 2

 

[dm33]

I don't understand why companies don't fully charge their lithium batteries..

Maybe they add up the electric bill and figure they only should do half way to cut costs.

Hmm..

Lithium ion batteries tend to wear out if they are kept full and if they get hot. The best way to store a battery is with a little charge, ideally ~40%. They leak charge very slowly and can be stored for a long time. However, if they fully discharge they no longer work. In normal use, the device shuts off before the battery fully discharges. Don't store a fully discharged battery.

So... to answer your question, they keep a partial charge because thats best for the battery while its in transit and sitting on shelves.

 

[jamor]

Lithium ion batteries tend to wear out if they are kept full and if they get hot. The best way to store a battery is with a little charge, ideally ~40%. They leak charge very slowly and can be stored for a long time. However, if they fully discharge they no longer work. In normal use, the device shuts off before the battery fully discharges. Don't store a fully discharged battery.

So... to answer your question, they keep a partial charge because thats best for the battery while its in transit and sitting on shelves.

I now understand that your device shuts off before the battery fully discharges.. but how long (estimate) do you think it would take to cause damage?

i.e. your phone shuts off at 11 pm, you wake up at 8 am to charge it - that's not enough time to cause damage right?

 

[Mitch R.]

I turned mine out of the box without an initial charge. True, overdraining/charging li-ion cells caken damage them, but most consumer lion devices have pcb circuits that prevent this. I do have non-protected lion cells and I babysit them during charge and cut the charge at 4.2v.

For phones, in regards of time of initial and subsequent charges, charge it until the LED turns grown and enjoy. Personally, I don't calibrate by completely discharging unless I see issues with runtime, but that's just me. I do charge some lion cells at a fully charged state, but it keep them in a sealed container in the fridge.

As someone else mentioned, don't read to much into it. Charge it until the light turns green and enjoy. There's no harm in using it out of the box or while it's charging out of the box. I read this article years ago and it has some great information.

 

[mrjinglesusa]

I got my Incredible yesterday. I set it up and played with it for awhile while it was charging. Once I got a full charge, I unplugged and played around for awhile. Let it fully charge overnight. Today, since I bought an extra charger for use at work, I plan to let it drain down completely by playing around with it throughout the day and fully charging it again before I leave for the day.

BTW, I downloaded Battery Left from the market and it doesn't give me the option for a "widget" on my homescreen. All I can do is add it as a application which I have to open to see information. Anyone know why? I'd like to be able to go to the screen it's on and see the battery data without opening the app.