Is it true that using a laptop plugged in ruins the battery?

Many people use their laptop constantly connected to the power supply. But it’s true that Using the laptop plugged in can ruin the battery? In the case of older models, the answer is without a doubt “Yes!”. In the case of new generation computers, thanks to more resistant batteries and special optimization functions, the health of the battery is “saved” by the software. However, it is best to avoid using the laptop connected to the mains too often and for prolonged periods of time, as the battery could be damaged due to excessive voltage levels and temperatures.

What damages the laptop battery

The batteries used in laptops currently on the market are usually of two types: garlic lithium ions and ai lithium polymers. Although these are two different technologies, their operation is almost similar: both generate energy through the movement of electrons and it is this constant flow that allows the battery to function.

According to a study conducted by Battery University, to avoid damaging batteries of this type, you must avoid prolonged voltage levels and the high temperature. To put it in simple terms, if we keep the laptop connected to the power the battery is subjected to a constant electrical voltage and are formed in the time of lithium deposits on the surface of the electrodes. This process can lower your health in the long run capacity to maintain the charge and, consequently, also contribute to decreasing theautonomy of the laptop’s battery (i.e. the amount of hours it can run before needing to be recharged).

Getting a little more technical, regarding the voltage levelthe greater this value (measured in volts per cell), the shorter the battery life. As can be appreciated from the following graph, for most lithium ions a voltage greater than 4.10 V/cell is considered high voltage. The aspect that we are interested in understanding through this graph is that by going to increase the voltage level and the battery capacity decreases (the percentage you see in the graph refers to the battery’s ability to accumulate energy, it is not the one you see on the screen relating to the residual charge). This is because a voltage level that is too high “stresses” the battery more than a lower voltage level.

As for the speech temperatureif this is it above 30°C can be considered high. If we add to this a battery stressed by high voltage, the mix becomes deadly for our battery.

As highlighted in the following graph, in fact, a battery stored at 40% charge at 40°C would see its capacity drop to 85% after just one year! This is because temperatures above 30°C deteriorate and break the chemical bonds between the lithium ions, thus limiting the charging capacity of the battery.

How not to ruin your laptop battery

In light of all this, therefore, how to keep your laptop battery healthy? First, we recommend do not use the laptop constantly connected to the power: it is not a desktop computer and should not be used as such. Perhaps the negative effects of this behavior will not become apparent immediately, but in the long term they will certainly be seen.

Besides not using the laptop Always connected to the mains, we also recommend keep the charge range between approximately 20-30% and 80%.. When the charge level reaches the first limit, you need to put the laptop on charge; when the second limit is reached, however, the computer should be disconnected from the power supply, so as not to stress the battery with an excessive voltage level.

Another thing that could be healthy for the battery concerns theactivation of the smart charging functions available on Windows and macOSwhich in fact prevent the laptop from charging to its maximum even when for some reason it remains connected to the power.