Inquisitive Universe is a blog which I own and manage. It started here on Nairaland and grew into it's own space. I got my adsense account from Google in January after seven months and since then I haven't looked back.

Lots of people want to know which phone is the best this or that, SoC, battery, camera etc. but they do not want to learn how those specs are made or rated.

This is why marketers, salespeople, charlatans and influencers will continue to hoodwink the average consumer with gimmicks and useless devices like a 64mp on top of a Helio P35. That one never gets old.

No click baits here. Just good old info for you to learn.

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Smartphone batteries are one of the most important parts of a smartphone today. Without them our phones won’t power on or stay on for long. You must have heard people complain about how their smartphone batteries work poorly, do not last very long or how they want their next phone to come with a huge battery.

Companies and advertisers bombard our collective consciousness with adverts promising bigger, long lasting batteries with unbelievable fast charge capabilities.

These days, everyone seems to be fussing over their batteries. We want to know how to charge them, how not to damage them and how to prolong their lifespans.

These notwithstanding, batteries are very misunderstood by a lot of people. Many of whom do not actually know how smartphone batteries work or what they do?


What is a battery?

A battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices such as flashlights, smartphones, cars etc.

A battery works by simply converting chemical energy directly into electrical energy. Chemicals of choice used in batteries are high energy metals like lead, zinc or lithium.


Key terms to note

Electrolyte: is any substance (solid, liquid, paste or gel) that allows current to flow through it.

Electrode: is a solid metal conductor of electricity. It helps to connect a battery to its load.

Electron: is a negatively charged subatomic particle.

Ion: an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge (i.e. either positive or negative).

Cation: a positively charged ion

Anion: a negatively charged ion

Cell: compartment

Current: this is a steady flow of electrons

Redox reactions: A redox (reduction-oxidation) reaction is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation state of atoms are changed. Electron floating around the nucleus of an atom love to do so in pairs. An electron floating by itself will want to seek another free electron so it can be paired up. This means that atoms with free electrons will either lose or gain electrons so as to balance (or pair) up their free electrons.

So if atom A has a free electron, it will lose it to atom B in order to become stable. This is called oxidation. Atom B then receives a free electron from Atom A to pair up its own free electron and becomes stable. This is called reduction.


Battery structure

Understanding the structure of a battery goes along way to understanding how it works. A battery is a single cell divided into two half cells. The two half cells are connected by an electrolyte containing cations. Both half cells are separated by a barrier to prevent the ions (i.e. cations and anions) on both sides from mixing.

One half cell contains electrolytes and a negatively (-ve) charged electrode called the anode. The anode is where the negatively charged ions (anions) migrate to.

The other half cell contains electrolytes and a positively (+ve) charged electrode called the cathode. The cathode is where the positively charged ions (cations) migrate to.

For a battery to work, electrons will flow from the anode into the phone and then out to the cathode i.e. from anode side into phone and out into the cathode side.

How smartphone batteries work?

The anode side of a full battery is highly negatively (-ve) charged while the cathode side is highly positively charged. When connected to a load, the anions in the electrolyte will migrate to the anode.

When they get to the anode, oxidation then occurs. The anions will lose their free electrons. These electrons then travel through the anode into the phone and power it up. After travelling through the smartphone’s circuit board, they then enter the cathode. When there is no longer enough electrons on the anode side or the charges (-ve and +ve) have become balanced on both sides, the battery “dies”.

When the phone’s battery dies and we connect a charger to it, it reverses the chemical reaction that occurred during discharge.

This is due to the fact that the current from the charger contains electrons. These electrons increases the negative charge of the cathode and makes it more negative than the anode. Thus, the cathode and anode switch roles. This forces the electrons to flow back to their original position (i.e. the anode).

When this happens, we can then say that our battery is recharged and ready for use. As soon as the charger is removed, the electrons from the anode begin their journey all over again.


https://inquisitiveuniverse.com/2021/03/13/how-smartphone-batteries-work/


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Simply search for Inquisitive Universe on Telegram. Learn these basics yourself an join a community of phone enthusiasts rather than listening to marketers who have once again taken over the phone section.

Peace.


Image 1: performance of 48mp on an SoC only meant for 25mp

Image 2: Post image

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Very good piece of information. Nice

Theanyanwu:
Very good piece of information. Nice

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

do bad battery makes phone. hot ??

Samyd18:
do bad battery makes phone. hot ??

This your question sha.

Well yes and no.

No because a battery does not just become hot on its own. It has to be connected to a load.

The load in this case is your Smartphone.

The part of the Smartphone that heats up the most is the SoC or CPU or Processor. This is why I educate people against buying cheap Transsion phones with cheap Helio A series, P series and Unisoc SoCs. These heat up quite quickly and drain a battery under heavy use.

Now if the battery is bad, the SoC as it heats up will also cause the battery to heat up as well.

Heat is generated as a by product when a battery is working.

If you want to know if it is the battery that is hot, touch the lower part of the back of your phone. If it is not hot then touch the upper part near the rear cameras.

If the upper part is hot then it is the Processor that is heating up the phone and not the battery.

It is actually uncommon for a battery to be that hot.

A hot battery is a fire hazard and should never be used or else....BoooM!

Why is it bad to use phone when charging it according to people

atheistandproud:


This your question sha.

Well yes and no.

No because a battery does not just become hot on its own. It has to be connected to a load.

The load in this case is your Smartphone.

The part of the Smartphone that heats up the most is the SoC or CPU or Processor. This is why I educate people against buying cheap Transsion phones with cheap Helio A series, P series and Unisoc SoCs. These heat up quite quickly and drain a battery under heavy use.

Now if the battery is bad, the SoC as it heats up will also cause the battery to heat up as well.

Heat is generated as a by product when a battery is working.

If you want to know if it is the battery that is hot, touch the lower part of the back of your phone. If it is not hot then touch the upper part near the rear cameras.

If the upper part is hot then it is the Processor that is heating up the phone and not the battery.

It is actually uncommon for a battery to be that hot.

A hot battery is a fire hazard and should never be used or else....BoooM!

Thanks ....I think this should be part of the write up above
Thanks again

Op, kindly answer the questions
What makes phone battery drain fast?
What makes phone battery swell?
Does d more frequent one charges his phone affect d efficiency of d battery?
How do I know my phone battery is not good again?
What makes me know that my phone battery is still good?

SweetVibe:
Why is it bad to use phone when charging it according to people

One word...

Heat.

tayo60:
Op, kindly answer the questions
What makes phone battery drain fast?
What makes phone battery swell?
Does d more frequent one charges his phone affect d efficiency of d battery?
How do I know my phone battery is not good again?
What makes me know that my phone battery is still good?

1. Only an Ifa priest can tell you that. What is your definition of fast?

2. Chemical changes in the battery caused by poor usage habits or the use of cheap substandard materials.

3. Yes and no.

Yes if you overcharge or use up the life cycles of the battery

No if you're correctly charge within the accepted limit.

4. Vague question. An Ifa priest can better answer that.

5. If it does what it is supposed to do obviously

this one choke o 64mp on top of a Helio P35 thats why one needs to know more about this stuff before jumping... thank GOD my phone is safe... though am just seeing this... THANKS VERY MUCH for the INFO

Chemistry! Pure Chemistry!

atheistandproud:


1. Only an Ifa priest can tell you that. What is your definition of fast?

2. Chemical changes in the battery caused by poor usage habits or the use of cheap substandard materials.

3. Yes and no.

Yes if you overcharge or use up the life cycles of the battery

No if you're correctly charge within the accepted limit.

4. Vague question. An Ifa priest can better answer that.

5. If it does what it is supposed to do obviously

You now use pride and smirk to answer questions, seems like you have made it in life.

SweetVibe:

You now use pride and smirk to answer questions, seems like you have made it in life.

Abi o!

atheistandproud:


1. Only an Ifa priest can tell you that. What is your definition of fast?

2. Chemical changes in the battery caused by poor usage habits or the use of cheap substandard materials.

3. Yes and no.

Yes if you overcharge or use up the life cycles of the battery

No if you're correctly charge within the accepted limit.

4. Vague question. An Ifa priest can better answer that.

5. If it does what it is supposed to do obviously

Anyways, thanks Op.

SweetVibe:

You now use pride and smirk to answer questions, seems like you have made it in life.

pride? u just lack humor

sunshineV:
pride? u just lack humor

Are you the new Abobaku? .

SweetVibe:
Are you the new Abobaku? .

aboniki ni

SweetVibe:

You now use pride and smirk to answer questions, seems like you have made it in life.

You should check yourself to see if maybe you're not suffering from inferiority complex.

Lemme ask you this.

"How much money is enough for one to survive in Ibadan?"

Do you see how open ended and vague that question sounds?

or see another one...

"Is my phone good?"

Another vague and open ended question

i. How are you supposed to know if my phone is good or not when I didn't complain that it was bad.

ii. How are you supposed to know how much can a person can live on Ibadan when I didn't furnish you with further details like budgetary requirements, type of accomodations, lifestyle, marital status etc.

Open ended and vague questions get open ended and vague answers.

Do not weep more than the bereaved. If you saw a problem with my answers, please provide better ones. Thank you.

sunshineV:
pride? u just lack humor

You get e time.