Question from Harlan D.: Hi Rick. I just recently found your blog and I love your tips. Great stuff!!
I have a question for you if you don’t mind.
A friend of mine told me that letting my phone and laptop charge overnight will damage the battery by overcharging it.
I do this all the time and I’ve never noticed a problem. Is it ok to charge my gadgets overnight or should I avoid it?
Rick’s answer: Thanks for the kind words about my tips Harlan. I really appreciate them!
In regards to your question, I’m afraid your friend gave you some incorrect [well, actually incomplete] information.
The short answer to your question is it’s perfectly fine to let your devices charge overnight as long as you use a charger that has an automatic shutoff feature to prevent over-charging.
Virtually any name-brand charger that comes bundled with a device from the factory should have automatic shutoff circuitry built-in, and so will the third-party chargers that are sold by reputable companies.
That being said, I strongly recommend avoiding the cheap “no-name” and “knockoff” chargers that are sold on eBay and many less-than-reputable websites because they can indeed damage your device’s battery [and worse].
“No-Name” chargers are just that. They typically won’t have a brand name printed anywhere on the package or on the chargers themselves.
“Knock-Off” chargers come branded with a name such as Apple, Samsung or Motorola, but they are typically sold by third party sellers at ridiculously low prices.
Many “no-name” and “knock-off” chargers are poorly designed and sloppily constructed. Some have been known to not only damage batteries, but cause fires and electrical shocks as well. Avoid them like the plague!
As a general rule, you can always trust a charger if it came bundled with the device from the manufacturer. And you can trust a third-party charger as long as it has the automatic shutoff feature and it’s sold by a reputable company.
Amazon is a great place to buy replacement chargers because they have an excellent selection of quality name brand, official OEM and third-party chargers. Also, their customer reviews will help you steer clear of no-names and knock-offs.
Bottom line: As long as you use a trustworthy charger that has automatic shutoff circuitry built-in, you can let your devices charge overnight with no worries whatsoever.
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Being an early rising coffee junkie has its advantages such as staying fit and sticking to a schedule and working with the same pace and momentum the natural clock of the world is going through.
However, the question arises when you are going to bed to have some rest to charge your body and you would be wondering can I leave my laptop plugged in overnight? So that you can start your day without having to worry about pesky warning labels notifying you about low battery levels.
Surely, leaving your laptop plugged in overnight seems plausible and very viable for your next day’s work routine, but there are some things you need to consider before you can go ahead and charge your laptop overnight.
But to go through every detail, we need to have a little understanding of how a battery works and what are their types.
Types of batteries used in laptops
- Lithium-ion
- Nickel Cadium
- Nickel Metal hydride
Lithium-ion Battery Cells
These are the latest form of battery cells used in traditional laptops, they are often preferred for their high-density storage capacity as compared to nickel-based batteries.
These are commonly used nowadays in almost all forms of electronics which requires battery components due to being extremely safe and if your laptop has lithium-ion battery cells then it is safe to assume that you can leave your laptop overnight without having to worry about a fire hazard.
Nickel Cadmium Batteries
Nickel Cadmium is quite rare nowadays but usually is used in regions where temperature readings are extremely variable i.e too hot or too cold. Nickel Cadmium based batteries shine bright in extreme temperatures and tend to have a higher life cycle as compared to the latter in the list.
However, due to the memory effect, they have been deemed a second choice as compared to a lithium-ion battery because their memory feature requires them to be fully drained in order to complete a cycle, otherwise, the cycle is wasted which results in a drastic reduction of the life cycle of battery.
This reduction of life cycle resulted in battery dying quickly and then you have to invest in newer ones which might be a costly alternative.
These are the ones that have lesser density storage capacity than lithium ions but are considerably safer than them. Moreover, these batteries don’t have a memory effect but do have a lower life cycle than nickel Cadium, moreover, they are significantly heavier than the former batteries mentioned.
Now that you have a basic understanding of types of batteries and how each works, let’s answer your question
If you have a laptop that isn’t a decade old at least, then it is safe to assume that your laptop uses either Lithium-ion or a lithium-polymer battery. As explained above, Lithium-based battery cells arent affected by the memory retaining feature and you can safely keep your laptop plugged in overnight even if it reaches the maximum threshold i.e 100%.
Furthermore, the newer technology works by having the laptop stop taking power from the battery once it reaches its maximum charging capacity, and instead use the direct power from the charging adapter.
However, if that is not the case here, and your laptop has nickel-based batteries, then leaving your laptop plugged in overnight can be a fire hazard, as not only are they less safe than lithium-ion batteries but tend to get swollen and has a probability of exploding.
Note: Please check the manual of your laptop to know which type of batteries the manufacturer has included in it.
Things to consider for safer and longer battery life
You should keep the following points in mind if you want to go on the safer side and have good battery life.
Ambient temperature
It is common knowledge that heat tends to depreciate the life of the battery especially when it’s charging, although keeping your laptop plugged in overnight might not affect the lithium-ion battery because it doesn’t have a memory effect but still it is advised not to charge your battery under higher ambient temperature is it might damage the internal of laptop hardware due to unnecessary heat generation.
Turning off unnecessary applications and connectivity features
Battery runtimes tend to get worn down due to prolonged use which is an inevitable fact, however, you can still increase the battery life span by turning off Bluetooth, WIFI options as well as turning down the brightness option to as minimum as possible to keep things running for longer period of time.
Choosing low profile power options
Power options like sleep and hibernation mode can be a better alternative than keeping your laptop awake at all times. This ensures your laptop uses a lesser battery and generates less heat which will prevent your battery from getting damaged over time.
Final Take
It is always going to be cautious about electronics that you are using as there is no guarantee which element will go wrong if you are not careful and having the knowledge beforehand can prevent a major mishap.
That being said, after reading the article carefully, I hope you have found all the necessary answers to your questions so that you can decide whether or not leaving your laptop plugged in overnight is suitable for you.
Personally, I would advise against it because I myself don’t keep my electronics whether it is my smartphone or laptop charged overnight because you can never trust these technologies over your health.
Stay safe and feel free to comment below if you have any queries.