Large Battery vs Fast Charging: Which is Better to Extend Battery Life

Opinions about what features a smartphone should have varied wildly, but one thing most people agree on is that our phones need better battery life. As we rely more and more on our phones, battery anxiety is a real issue for many people.

Manufacturers offer two ways to improve battery life: either through fast charging or with a larger battery.

No matter which you choose, there are problems with both options.

The Tech Difficulties of a Larger Battery

Without a doubt, many manufacturers consider a large battery as the solution to extending the time between phone charges, offering high-capacity batteries that can last for two, and sometimes three days. However, with current tech limitations, these phones always come with added bulk, significantly decreasing their portability.

Let's discuss an extreme example: a phone named Power Max P18K Pop, produced by Energizer, the largest battery manufacturer in the world. P18K was announced at MWC (Mobile World Congress) in 2019 and has a gargantuan phone battery capacity of 18000 mAh, almost six times an iPhone XS Max (3174 mAh).

It's reported that when fully charged, Power Max P18K Pop has a battery life of up to 50 days! That's 48 hours of continuous video streaming, 100 hours of music playback, or 90 hours of call time.

cell phone with a big battery

The phone has a thickness of 153 mm and is 74.8 mm wide, going against most of the values we consider essential in a phone, including its portability and comfort.

cell phone with a big battery

While some people may appreciate the novelty of not having to charge their phone for 50 days, this brick-sized phone probably won't be popular with many.

Unless we experience a substantial technological leap, we're not going to see a large battery capacity in a sleek, lightweight phone for some time.

The Technologies of Fast Charging

Compared with a larger battery, fast charging technology is far more advanced.

Take the Mi Quick Charge 5 (QC 5.0) as an example.

Not only can QC 5.0 provide unprecedented charging speeds for smartphones, but it improves charging efficiency dramatically. It's also fully compatible with a series of new battery technologies and accessories.

Xiaomi QC 5.0 fast charging standard

What's new in QC 5.0:

The fast-charging power of 100W means it takes only 5 min to charge your smartphone from 0 to 50% and 15 min to charge a 4500mAh phone battery fully.
Charging efficiency of 70%.
Thermal management decreases its charging temperature to 10℃.
QC 5.0 is compatible with more than 1000 accessories
Supports more than 250 terminals

Compared with traditional fast-charging tech, QC 5.0 is definitely in a leading position. It raises the standard for smartphone internal electric circuits and fast-charging accessories. Generally speaking, the higher the charging power, the larger the charger. As a result, the fast-charging plug with 100W power is both larger and heavier, affecting its handiness and portability.

While fast charging works better than a large battery, it still has limitations regarding its convenience. You still need to find a socket to charge your phone while you’re out and about, even if you consider carrying the extra weight.

In addition, fast charging is not as friendly to the phone battery as regular charging. That's why Xiaomi's 100W fast charging is not pushed to any of its production model yet.

Phone Habits for a Longer Battery Life

As well as hardware, knowing how to utilize your phone battery may be crucial in extending its life.

1）Form a daily charging habit

Today, most of our cell phones have lithium-ion batteries. One of its main features is its 'power down' function which decreases internal chemical activity. When recharging your phone, it takes a while for the battery to activate initially.

When we allow our phone batteries to drain completely, the Li-ion battery can get damaged. To prevent your phone from powering down, we need a portable battery charger that you can use anytime, anywhere, like the MagEZ Slider.

When you're not using your phone for work, simply attach it to the wireless charging stand. It charges without you having to do anything at all, and it's ready when you need it. So, instead of putting your phone on the desk, and sitting there idle, put it on the stand.

When you are out and about, slide out the magnetic wireless power bank to continue recharging up your phone.

MagEZ Slider helps you form a charging habit so you'll never have battery anxiety again. Keeping your phone charged will also keep your battery healthy.

2）Set up a battery-saving mode

The Wirecutter tested battery-saving options on a range of newly released Apple and Android smartphones with the latest operating systems. While the results vary depending on the phone model, cellular carrier, location, and other factors, these seven tips should help save battery energy:

Use auto-brightness for the screen
Block power-sucking ads
Tweak your email settings
Play downloaded music instead of streaming
Turn off wireless when reception is poor
Disable unnecessary location tracking
Shut off unnecessary push notifications

Final Words

You might have a better understanding of current tech designed to deal with our ever-mounting battery anxiety. No matter which option you choose, don't forget to try charging your phone with MagEZ Juice 2.