Article Summary
Cold temperatures significantly affect smartphone batteries, especially lithium-ion types, leading to reduced storage and energy transfer capabilities. The cold slows down the chemical reactions inside the battery, causing rapid energy depletion. In extreme cold, the electrolytes can freeze, rendering the battery unable to supply power. Different battery types react to cold differently; For instance, alkaline batteries freeze quickly, whereas lithium-ion batteries perform better but are still vulnerable. To ensure efficient phone operation, removing the cold from a charged battery is necessary for optimal use.

Some people may love cold weather, but electronics, especially batteries, hate winter. If you live in a cold climate, you will notice that battery Your car doesn’t want to start right away when you turn it on in the morning. You’ll also find that your smartphone’s battery level has dropped rapidly as you commute to work in this cold weather. But this isn’t the battery’s fault. In the following lines, we’ll find out why cold weather affects smartphone batteries?

Winter and battery

Some may think that it’s the battery that’s doing poorly in the cold. But it’s all about the chemical reactions that take place inside those batteries. Electrons start out as neutral atoms or molecules, and are released through a chemical reaction inside the battery. As a result of this reaction, the electrons move through a wire and meet positively charged molecules on the other side of the battery. This movement creates a current that powers your smartphone.

So what does what's happening inside the battery have to do with cold weather?

Cold slows down the chemical reactions that occur inside the battery, reducing its ability to store and transfer energy. This is true for almost all batteries, however, cell phones have lithium-ion batteries inside them and lithium reacts very poorly to cold.

When the temperature drops, it reduces the amount of power your phone's battery can provide and causes it to drain more quickly. If the temperature drops low enough, the liquid electrolytes inside it can freeze. Once this happens, the battery can no longer provide power to power your phone.

Why do some batteries suffer more than others in the winter?

For example, alkaline batteries, like many non-rechargeable type A and type AAA batteries, contain a solution of water and potassium hydroxide. This water solution can freeze at low temperatures. But it begins to lose its chemical strength before it actually turns to ice.

Then there are lithium-ion batteries like the ones in your phone. Lithium-ion batteries tend to outperform alkaline batteries in cold weather, but even these have their limits, which is why electric cars struggle in cold climates. Another very common battery is the lead-acid battery, which is widely used in cars. The cold slows this reaction and makes the oil and other components of the engine harder to start.

Difference between cold charged battery and dead battery?

Finally, it can be said that a charged battery has the ability to produce enough electrons to power your phone, but because the low temperature slows down these reactions, the electrons are released gradually to the point that your smartphone feels that the battery is empty and does not have enough power to operate it. That is why in cold temperatures, the phone constantly tells you that the battery is low or empty, while in fact it is full but just cold, and all you have to do is remove the cold from it and it will charge your smartphone without a problem. As for the dead or empty battery, it does not have any power to charge the phone.

Have you ever had problems with your phone battery in winter? Share your experience in the comments!

Source:

SciShow

Related articles