Does not using battery extend its life?

[Michael Lovett]

Sorry if this is a dumb question -
I use the SP3 all day for work, then again at night for leisure (really putting it through its paces). I have the option of using the battery most of the time, or using AC most of the time.

Is there an advantage to NOT using the battery? IE, will the lifetime of my battery be extended if I mostly run on AC, or is that battery "aging" a certain amount whether I'm using it heavily or not?

Michael

 

[GreyFox7]

It would be interesting how many different answers you would get if you asked that question in a room full of battery engineers.

 

[the1spicymeatbal]

The way I understand it - and there are others in the world that can better comment on this - but the most ideal way to prevent loss of life with a lithium ion battery is to prevent 3 conditions - undervoltage, overvoltage, and heat.
So for each condition:
Undervoltage: Don't run it down to 0%, then not put it on the charger for a month.
Overvoltage: Don't leave it on the charger 24/7/365.
Heat: Don't leave it in the car (or some other super hot place).

I guess ideally, you would charge to 80%, discharge to 20%, then repeat.

I used to try to do this, but it just defeats the purpose of having a convenient, small, portable device. Plus, in a device so purposefully engineered, I would bet my money that Microsoft took this into account and designed the battery specifically for this device.

Therefore, all I do is try to not leave the device in the heat. It never stays on the charger for long periods because I bring it with me most everywhere! I say don't over think it, because there are others out there that have been paid to do so!! Just use the device as you wish, be somewhat sorta responsible with heat and whatnot, and enjoy!

IMHO, YMMV, ETC, ETC.

 

[ctitanic]

Sorry if this is a dumb question -
I use the SP3 all day for work, then again at night for leisure (really putting it through its paces). I have the option of using the battery most of the time, or using AC most of the time.

Is there an advantage to NOT using the battery? IE, will the lifetime of my battery be extended if I mostly run on AC, or is that battery "aging" a certain amount whether I'm using it heavily or not?

Michael

Using AC gives you better performance so I stay most of the time connected to power.

 

[ctitanic]

I say don't over think it, because there are others out there that have been paid to do so!! Just use the device as you wish, be somewhat sorta responsible with heat and whatnot, and enjoy!

IMHO, YMMV, ETC, ETC.

This is the most important part.

 

[malberttoo]

I say don't over think it...

Agreed. My boss is constantly trying to micromanage his battery life, and the result is that it is ALWAYS dying at the worst possible times, because he doesn't plan ahead with regards to where he's going to be at a given time, has power bricks, etc., and gets somewhere to start a job with like 30% battery because he didn't think about it the night before.

I let mine top off every night, and have power with me in case I get stuck somewhere and need to plug in. I take @jnjroach advice and once a month let the battery discharge to 10%.

 

[kozak79]

My Lenovo laptop has a feature that keeps the battery at 50% to extend the life of the battery. I guess charging the battery to full 100% lowers it's lifespan.

 

[Liam2349]

Keeping the battery at 100% will decrease its lifespan, but it's not something I'm concerned about. Microsoft said you can use 5 charging cycles a week for 5 years and still be at 80% of original capacity - in 8 months I will probably have a SP4. I don't even have SP3 yet!

So due to the lifecycle of these devices and the fact that I'm going to keep upgrading, I really don't care about when I charge it.

Similar deal with my phone - I'll charge it whenever and not worry about it because the battery can be replaced.