Guest post by Daniella Parker for Gecko Mobile
Upgrading your mobile phone battery is an integral part of mobile maintenance; you lose a percentage of your battery’s life with every single charge cycle. After a time, you may find your phone no longer holds a charge; what’s your first thought in this scenario? I’d bet it’s to buy a new phone; let’s say you like the phone you have and don’t want to have to buy a new one. Fear not. Several companies offer battery replacement services to rejuvenate your mobile life, some ideas of cost can be found here. Upgrading your phone’s battery allows you to keep your old device going for longer. Did you know that improper disposal of phone batteries contribute to water and air pollution? Read more about that more here.
So what exactly is battery health, and what are the signs that It’s time to upgrade your mobile phone’s battery? Your battery health percentage is a tool that describes precisely how long your phone should last between charge cycles, 100% being brand new total capacity and 0% fully depleted and degraded. You can tell that your battery is dying through this percentage as well as other signs, such as; your phone can no longer hold a charge, your battery is starting to bloat, your phone shuts off unexpectedly, your phone only works when connected to power, your phone is suddenly hot etc.
The lower the health percentage, the more degraded the battery becomes, and the more degraded your battery are, the more dangerous it is. Lithium-ion batteries can swell and explode, destroying your technology and potentially causing a fire. This is why companies that work with battery replacement dispose of them in a very safe manner. Of course, you could always change the battery yourself; however, we don’t necessarily recommend changing the battery yourself. Although there are many guides, due to the risks involved, we believe it’s best left to the experts, as lithium-ion batteries, as mentioned above, can be very dangerous in the wrong hands.
You decide it’s time to upgrade; you don’t want your old phone anymore, you’re ready for a newer model. What do you do with the old one? You could throw it away but throwing away your old device is detrimental to the environment; thousands of old phones and other disregarded tech ends up in landfills every day, and mining for the precious minerals inside causes even more pollution.
You could sell it, but the likelihood of making a decent profit is low. Moreover, many online retailers take a hefty percentage of your sale, and it may not be worth it with postage and packing costs.
To sum up, this article, if your phone is no longer holding a charge and you wish you keep it, services exist to upgrade that battery for you and keep your old device going for longer; however, if you don’t want to keep it the best option is to sell the old one to a phone recycling service, and consider whilst you do the option of buying a refurbished phone! It’s better for the environment and kinder to your wallet.
