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Samsung To Push Software Upgrade Which Will Cap Galaxy Note 7 Battery Charging at 60 Percent (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the temp-fix dept.

As Samsung figures out how to tackle the big Note7 fiasco, it has found a temporary solution for existing users of the phone. It plans to roll out an over-the-air (OTA) update on September 20 which would limit the battery charging cap for the Note7 to 60 percent. ZDNET reports: The Over-the-Air (OTA) software upgrade will commence on September 20, 10 am in South Korea. Samsung is in talks with telcos from nine other countries where the phablet is available to deploy a similar software upgrade. Galaxy Note 7 has a battery capacity of 3,500 mAh, but the forced upgrade will enforce it to 2,100 mAh. The measure is meant to protect consumers who are still using the Note7 despite a recommendation to halt use. When the exchange starts on September 19 in South Korea, the tech giant will also offer to pay parts of the data fee.

6 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. Nice, can you do it for your other phones too? by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'd love the option to set my various devices' charge/discharge limits to 90% / 10% or 80% / 20%.

    Yes, Li-Ion chemistry has improved a lot in the past decade but batteries still degrade faster at 100%.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  2. 40% less BANG for your buck! by Thud457 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Samsung steals 40% of customers' battery life

    TFTFY

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    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  3. Re:Shouldn't customers get 40% of their money back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    On the plus side, the battery will literally last forever. Charging to 90% doubles the life of a LiPo, charging to only 50% eliminates cycle-based aging almost completely (the cells will still degrade, but just as quick as they would if you didn't use them at all). 60% will likely last very long.

  4. Why does this solve the problem? by goombah99 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The problem is battery terminals manufactured too close together. Why does having 40% less stored energy make the problem any better?

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  5. How about being able to do this on all phones? by Razed+By+TV · · Score: 3, Interesting

    After the article about Sony boosting battery life ( https://hardware.slashdot.org/... ) I started looking for a way to stop my phone from charging past 80%. I was hoping to find an Xposed module that covered it, but no such luck. There don't seem to be any apps to do it, either.

    Its interesting that Samsung cobbled together something to do it. I wonder if it is hardware specific, or can be exported to other devices.

    1. Re:How about being able to do this on all phones? by macs4all · · Score: 3, Interesting

      After the article about Sony boosting battery life ( https://hardware.slashdot.org/... ) I started looking for a way to stop my phone from charging past 80%. I was hoping to find an Xposed module that covered it, but no such luck. There don't seem to be any apps to do it, either. Its interesting that Samsung cobbled together something to do it. I wonder if it is hardware specific, or can be exported to other devices.

      Apple routinely charges all batteries in all systems to around the optimal level of 85%. Has been doing that for years. Maybe that's why all of my current Apple gear, including my 2013 MacBook Pro, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 4s, and even the relatively ancient iPad 2 I'm typing this on, have virtually the same battery life as when they were new. For example, my iPad, which sees HEAVY use every single day, still gets over 10 hours of typical email, web browsing, etc.; actually probably closer to 12 hours.

      With Li-Ion and Li-Po batteries, the key really IS the charging profile, and nobody else but Apple seems to understand that. Don't know why; but it seems to be true.