Smartphones

5 easy ways to safely charge your phone

These tips are sure to help you do it safely

Published

October 28, 2018

Gab Orlina

One of the most common issues for any smartphone user involves the device’s battery. We already covered how you can keep the battery lasting longer, but let’s go into another issue: charging it.

Whether it’s based off their own experiences or through research, most smartphone users know how to properly charge their phones but the same problems still exist. From overheating batteries to phones refusing to power on, a lot of these issues come off as battery-related in the long run.

So, how can we charge our phones the right way? Well, here are some things you can do that can address your battery charging issues.

Use the charger that comes with your phone

Every phone comes with its own charger and accessories. If you’ve been a user of the same line of Android smartphones or iPhones, these things are no different to you. The natural thing to do is to simply reuse the same charger across multiple devices. But, there is a reason why that charger was bundled with that phone.

Companies provide you with a charger that best fits the electrical capacity needed to charge your phone, and you should seriously consider using them. Ideally, both the power brick and the charging cable were designed specifically for your smartphone. Using another phone charger or a generic one could pose dangers to the battery, and to the phone in the long run. Also, take note if your phone uses fast charging so you have a reason to use the charger that came in the box.

Don’t do a 100 to 0 all the time

You’ve come across people who have told you to discharge your phone completely, especially if it’s a new one. These same people have also told you that doing so is actually good for your phone’s battery. The truth, however, is that your battery will eventually discharge faster, even if they will charge faster or at the same rate. Battery University, a website run by battery company Cadex, calls this process “deep discharge.”

It’s better to keep your battery’s charge level at a workable percentage before even thinking of plugging in the charger. If you subject your phone’s battery to a deep discharge, there is a higher chance that you will gradually reduce its lifespan. It’s also recommended that the workable percentage shouldn’t be too low (experts say below 30 percent) as it has the same effect.

Don’t keep your phone charging until 100

There are people who also tell you to charge your phone until you hit the 100 percent mark. Sure, it means that you have proof that your battery is full — and who wouldn’t want that? What you probably don’t know is that doing this adds stress to the battery, which damages it in the long run.

As much as possible, charge your batteries up to a safe percentage. While it would be good to go all the way to 100, working with 80 to 90 percent would already be fine. If you want to maximize your battery life, you can always look up ways to save your battery.

It’s not advisable to charge overnight

Charging your phone overnight is a common practice. At the end of the day, you would want to treat your phone the way you treat yourself: getting enough charge for the activities that lie ahead. So, the logical thing to do is to plug in the phone charger and let it reach 100 percent overnight.

But as mentioned earlier, going all the way to 100 might not be a good idea. Even if your battery reaches its full capacity, a lot of “trickle charges” come into play while your charger is still plugged in overnight. These trickle charges keep your phone at 100 percent as it fills in for the charges that your phone naturally loses. When that happens, you’re just adding more stress to the battery.

Charge when you can, little by little

Instead of charging it overnight, charging it periodically would be the way to go. Plug the charger as often as you would want to within the day, up to a workable percentage for you. It’s also good to keep your phone charged for short bursts of time to keep your device up and running the whole day. While it seems impractical, doing this does not have any harmful effects to your phone’s battery.

Related Topics:battery life Charging specials

Deals

OPPO offering a Reno5 trade-in for all F-series users

Get a discount of up to PhP 4,499 on the brand-new Reno5!

Published

February 26, 2021

Kenrick Buduan

To all the OPPO F-series users out there, here is your chance to snag a new OPPO smartphone. OPPO is offering a one-day trade-in program where you can swap your old F-series device for the new Reno5 5G or 4G.

Yes, the trade-in program is a one-day exclusive. It will happen tomorrow, February 27, in select OPPO concept stores including SM Manila, SM Megamall, Market! Market! Taguig, SM North EDSA, SM Fairview, SM Mall of Asia, SM Southmall, and SM Taytay.

To participate in the trade-in program, simply bring in your old F-series device to the aforementioned stores. All F-series devices are eligible for the trade-in. An OPPO Service Center Technical Support Assistant will assist you and appraise the value of your device. The appraisal value can go up to PhP 4,499, which you can avail of as a discount towards a brand-new Reno5.

Here is the appraisal value for each F-series device:

F1, F1s, F1s Upgraded, F1 Plus, F5, F5 6GB — PhP 1,499
F3 Plus, F3, F9 — PhP 2,999
F11 6GB, F1 Plus, F7 Youth, F7 — PhP 3,499
F11 Pro 128GB, F7 128GB, F11 Pro 64GB, F11 Pro Marvel Avengers Limited Edition — PhP 4,499

The device should be in good working condition upon trade-in. Devices with defective functions or physical damages are subject to a deduction on the appraisal value. Meanwhile, devices with liquid-caused damages and those costs higher than the appraisal value are not eligible for the trade-in.

SEE ALSO: OPPO Reno5 Hands-on

After the unit diagnosis, you will receive a duly-signed Reno5 trade-in voucher indicating the final appraisal value. This voucher will apply as a discount when presented in selected OPPO concept stores upon purchase of the new Reno5.

Under the trade-in program, you can avail of the special warranty program for the OPPO Reno5. Furthermore, it is valid to one transaction per customer only. The purchased Reno5 unit under this program is not entitled to receive freebies or giveaways similar to the regular purchase.

The Reno5 5G is available at a retail price of PhP 23,999, while the Reno5 4G is available at PhP 18,999. These devices can be had through select concept stores and partner dealers, Globe and Smart postpaid plans, as well exclusive e-commerce partners Lazada and Shopee.

If you want more information about the trade-in program, visit OPPO Philippines’ website or official Facebook page today.

Smartphones

Galaxy A82 will experiment with a sliding camera

Can slide up and down

Published

February 26, 2021

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Sarang Sheth/LetsGoDigital

As of late, the tech industry is going all-in on nostalgia. Besides the obvious nod to foldable phones of the early 2000s, some companies are also developing former fan favorites like a new sliding phone for the current generation. According to a new patent, Samsung is developing a similar form factor for the Galaxy A82.

Obtained and reported by LetsGoDigital, the upcoming device will slide up, much like how old sliding phones work. Likewise, the sliding mechanism will hide the device’s rear camera setup. However, unlike the old devices, the phone can also slide down to reveal the front-facing selfie camera.

Working with Yanko Design’s Sarang Sheth, the report also reveals what the device will eventually look like. Besides hiding the two camera setups, the mechanism will apparently hide a front-facing speaker system likely supplied by AKG. According to the report, the device can wield an unknown number of cameras. For the sake of the render, the photo currently has a triple rear camera system and a single front-facing camera.

Notably, Samsung’s rumored experiment echoes what it’s doing with its Galaxy Z series. Currently, the Galaxy Z series already has a series of new features ready for release including an under-display camera.

Besides the Samsung Galaxy A82, OPPO is also developing its own take on the sliding camera phone.

News

Xiaomi Mi 11: Price and availability in the Philippines

The flagship for everyone?

Published

February 25, 2021

GadgetMatch

One of the first smartphones to sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset officially arrives in the Philippines as Xiaomi launches the Mi 11.

Teased and leaked almost incessantly, the device was first launched in China in late December and released globally early in February 2021.

What are you getting with the Mi 11? First off, it has a sizable 6.81-inch AMOLED screen, outputting images in 1440p and 120Hz. The screen is reportedly a new 10-bit panel with up to 8192 brightness levels and 480Hz touch input rate.

Much like most flagships released so far, this phone has support for 5G — a feature that will likely be norm this year and beyond.

It comes with a triple rear camera setup: 108-megapixel main + 13-megapixel ultra-wide + 5-megapixel telemacro. Xiaomi put a bunch of AI video features for you to play with like Parallel World, Freeze Frame video, and more. The front panel has a top-left punch-hole camera, Xiaomi did not explicitly showcase the front-facing selfie camera’s specs.

It will come with MiUI12 out of the box — possibly the least bloatware-infested version of the said Android skin.

Xiaomi isn’t including an 18W charger. Instead, it comes with a 55W charger which can juice up the 4,600mAh battery from 0 to 100 percent in 45 minutes.

Pricing and availability

The Xiaomi Mi 11 comes in 8GB+256GB variant with enhanced LPDDR5 3200MHz RAM + UFS 3.1 storage. It will retail at PhP 36,990 starting from March 13, and will be available at Xiaomi official stores on Lazada and Shopee, and offline at Authorized Mi Stores and other official retailers in Philippines.

Mi 11 will come in two color options: Midnight Gray and Horizon Blue. Mi Fans who order during the pre-order period starting March 5 will get additional Xiaomi freebies.