14 DAY TRIAL // If you have a Microsoft Surface PC or a laptop that has a battery in it, you probably noticed that the more you use it, the more the battery life goes down.
In other words, the autonomy that you get with a full charge keeps going down, and this is due to a process known as battery degradation.
Lithium-ion cells age over time and because of use, so the actual capacity of a battery decreases, eventually forcing users either to recharge their devices much more often (because the battery life per charge is lower) or to get a brand-new battery for their computer.
The latter option is the one that makes more sense, though it goes without saying it’s not affordable at all. And in many cases, it can’t be done at home either, so you need to reach out to professional services to have your laptop battery replaced.
Microsoft, however, has a series of recommendations for PC owners, explaining that one way to extend the battery is to keep it charged between 20% and 80% as much as possible. In other words, don’t go up to a full charge unless particularly necessary, Microsoft says.
“Like all batteries, lithium-ion cells age and deteriorate over time and with use. To help extend battery life and performance, try to keep the battery level between 20% and 80% several times a week instead of using your device for only a short amount of time, and then plugging it in to recharge the battery,” Microsoft says.
Features like Smart charging help deal with this whole thing in a more effective manner, as your device would only charge to the recommended battery level – in some cases, after reaching the recommended 80 percent, the charging process progresses to 100% at a much slower speed in order to protect the battery.
Microsoft, however, claims that avoiding charging the device at extremely high temperatures is very, very important. Because of the heat, the battery degradation can take place at a higher speed, so you love battery capacity much faster.
Furthermore, Microsoft says that the best way to store your device, especially when not using it for a couple of days, is to charge the battery to below 50% and not to 100% as most of us do.
“Batteries that are more fully charged and then stored may lose capacity faster. If you need to store your device for a long period of time, it’s best to make sure the battery level is below 50% but not completely drained before storing your device,” the software giant explains.
Worth knowing, however, is that a degraded battery can eventually become dangerous, as in some cases, it could expand beyond its typical size sometimes even creating a visible deformation of the laptop’s case.
If this happens, you should immediately stop using the device, Microsoft says.
“When a battery has deteriorated a lot, battery life might be very short or the lithium-ion cells may expand. When a battery expands from deterioration, it’s most often caused by the formation of non-flammable carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. If your device’s battery has expanded visibly beyond the mechanical enclosure, we recommend that you stop using the device. You should handle the device with caution to prevent putting pressure on or puncturing the battery cell,” the software giant explains.
At the end of the day, whenever you believe that the battery in your device has reached a point where it needs to be replaced, simply reaching out to a service center is the best idea.