Welcome to the latest installment of our monthly Q&A column, where a panel of experts answers your questions about using technology in your law practice.
This month we answer a reader's question about whether it’s better to fast charge or slow charge your smartphone.
A: We’re all in a hurry, and being able to fast-charge your phone is handy when you are on the move. Phones will take two or three hours to go from 0 percent to 100 percent battery. Fast chargers can get you there in as little as 30 minutes. But is it better to use the slow-charge method when charging your phone? Technically, yes. Fast charging is not inherently bad for your phone. The risk comes from the heat that a fast charge generates. Heat, whether it comes from leaving the phone in a hot car or overcharging it, can hinder your battery’s performance. In extreme circumstances, the battery can even swell or explode. Fast charging doesn’t generate this much heat, but it does generate enough heat to potentially impact your phone battery.
Another negative impact of fast charging is that it means you might use your charge cycles (from 0 percent to 100 percent) faster, which in turn reduces the life of the battery. That being said, there is intelligent technology built into the phone to ensure the charger switches to the appropriate amount of power for your phone, thus ensuring your phone doesn’t get more energy than it can absorb.
Fast charging will generate more heat, but it has many advantages to outweigh this disadvantage. It is less damaging than actively using your phone while it charges. If slow charging means you will need to use it while charging, then you may be better off with fast charging.
Techie: Ashley Hallene, JD, GPSolo eReport Editor-in-Chief, [email protected].
If you have a technology question, please forward it to Managing Editor Rob Salkin ([email protected]) at your earliest convenience. Our response team selects the questions for response and publication. Our regular response team includes Jeffrey Allen, Wells H. Anderson, Jordan L. Couch, Ashley Hallene, Al Harrison, and Patrick Palace. We publish submitted questions anonymously, just in case you do not want someone else to know you asked the question.
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