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### ZDNET’s Key Takeaways
To ensure the longest possible life for your tablet’s battery, it is crucial to unplug the device once it reaches full capacity, ideally keeping the battery’s charge between 20% and 80%. Avoid allowing the charge to fall completely to 0%, and when storing a tablet for extended periods, maintain it at roughly half charge. Finally, using certified, high-quality chargers helps prevent electrical stress and potential overheating that can degrade performance over time.

As someone who relies on a tablet daily, I’m constantly exploring ways to preserve its battery health. However, many casual charging habits, often carried out thoughtlessly, can unintentionally harm your battery’s longevity. There are, fortunately, proven techniques to extend the effective lifespan of a device’s battery. Yet, just as important are the avoidable mistakes—small behaviors that might appear harmless but in fact accelerate the natural wear of the battery over time.

Most modern tablets generally deliver six to eight hours of active use on a single charge, depending on the model and usage intensity. Naturally, performance diminishes as the device ages, since chemical wear gradually reduces storage capacity. While there are numerous strategies available to conserve power, it’s critical to focus on preventing the habits that work against you. What follows outlines three of the most common charging mistakes that quietly undermine your tablet’s battery health.

#### 1. Leaving Your Tablet Plugged In Overnight
Although newer tablets are designed with advanced battery management systems, many common models still aren’t immune to the harm caused by being left plugged in for endless hours. While the device technically stops charging at 100%, it doesn’t completely halt the electrical flow. It engages in small cycles of what is called “trickle charging,” a process that continuously tops off the battery to maintain full capacity. Over time, this constant micro-charging introduces thermal and chemical stress that shortens the battery’s natural lifespan.

A far better practice is to disconnect your device from the power source once the battery reaches full charge. Ideally, try to maintain the battery’s level between 20% and 80%; this midrange keeps lithium-ion cells under less stress. Occasional overnight charging won’t immediately destroy your battery, but repeated exposure creates cumulative damage that reveals itself gradually through shorter usage times and reduced overall capacity.

#### 2. Letting the Battery Completely Drain to 0%
It is all too easy to let your tablet’s charge drop to zero, set it aside, and forget to recharge it for days or weeks. However, repeatedly allowing your tablet’s battery to reach absolute depletion accelerates chemical deterioration and may render the battery incapable of holding charge effectively. In extreme cases, long-term neglect of a drained battery can lead to irreversible failure, necessitating costly repairs or full battery replacement.

Lithium-ion batteries are not engineered to stay completely empty. When your device shuts down at “0%,” it actually retains a residual charge that protects the internal chemistry. If left unattended, that remaining power slowly diminishes until the voltage falls too low, damaging the internal structure of the cell. For example, if a tablet—or gaming device such as a Nintendo Switch Lite—is stored for months fully discharged, the battery may degrade beyond recovery.

The best preventive approach is never to allow your charge level to sink below 20%. When you anticipate pausing usage for an extended time, charge the battery to about 50%, power off the device, and store it in a cool, moderate environment. This middle ground keeps the battery stable while minimizing both overcharging and deep discharge stress.

#### 3. Using the Wrong or Low-Quality Charger
While it may be tempting to pick up a bargain charger at a dollar store, such impulse purchases could prove expensive in the long run. Non-certified, low-cost chargers are often built with minimal safety features and may deliver irregular currents or voltage levels that strain the battery. This inconsistency can lead to overheating, power fluctuations, and premature cell degradation. In some cases, an incompatible charger can even cause circuit overloads, posing safety risks to both the battery and the tablet’s internal components.

Certified chargers—such as those tested for Apple, USB Power Delivery (PD), or equivalent standards—integrate mechanisms that regulate current flow, prevent voltage surges, and reduce the risk of overheating. These features ensure that your tablet charges efficiently and safely. Always verify that the charger and cable pair are designed for your specific device’s voltage and wattage requirements, as mismatched accessories may compromise performance and reliability.

#### Understanding Trickle Charging and Battery Stress
Trickle charging occurs whenever a battery continues to receive minor bursts of current after reaching full capacity, often while the device remains plugged in overnight. Each small top-up may seem inconsequential, yet keeping the battery perpetually at 100% places constant stress on its internal chemistry. Over time, this leads to faster degradation and a noticeable reduction in the total number of effective charging cycles your device can sustain. To address this, many smartphone and tablet manufacturers now include adaptive charging features that slow the process once the battery nears full capacity. Instead of quickly reaching 100% early in the night and then repeatedly topping off, the system prolongs the final charging stage until just before morning, effectively minimizing continuous high-charge stress.

#### Chemical Aging and Why It Matters
Every lithium-ion battery endures what experts call “chemical aging.” This gradual process reflects the inevitable decline in efficiency caused by repeated cycles of charging and discharging. As internal reactions become less effective, the overall capacity diminishes, leading to shorter active usage times and more frequent charging. Although no technology can prevent chemical aging outright, thoughtful care can slow it significantly. Frequent full discharges, constant overnight charging, use of inferior chargers, and consistent exposure to heat all exacerbate the process, reducing your battery’s expected lifespan.

#### Final Takeaway
To preserve the battery health of your tablet for as long as possible, adopt balanced charging practices: avoid leaving the device plugged in for extended periods, prevent full discharges, and invest in quality chargers that match manufacturer specifications. By maintaining your battery between moderate charge levels and minimizing environmental and electrical stress, you’ll keep your device efficient, reliable, and long-lasting—ensuring years of dependable performance with each charge cycle.

Sourse: https://www.zdnet.com/article/3-charging-mistakes-to-avoid/