Are you befuddled about batteries and charging your devices? You should be, they aren’t cheap.
Lithium-ion batteries are different from older, nickel-based batteries. Charging Lithium-ion batteries incorrectly can decrease their lifespan. They should last a few years, but improper care can decrease that lifespan, meaning that your battery will be unable to hold a charge—or unable to hold as big a charge as it used to—quicker.
Here's how to extend your battery's health.
Perform shallow discharges. Don’t discharging to 0%. Lithium-ion batteries do best when you discharge them for a little bit, then charge them for a little bit.
Don't leave it fully charged.
Lithium-ion batteries don't need to be charged all the way to 100%. In fact, they'd prefer not to be—so the 40%-80% rule you heard is a good guideline. When possible, keep it in that range to prolong its life as long as you can. If you do charge it to 100%, don't leave it plugged in. This degrades your battery's health.
Fully discharge it once a month. Most modern batteries are "smart batteries", and tell you how long you have until your battery dies (e.g. "2 hours, 15 minutes remaining"). This feature can get miscalibrated after a lot of shallow discharges. So, manufacturers recommend fully discharging your battery once a month to make sure this stays accurate.
Keep it cool. Excess heat is not only bad for your processor (and your lap), but your battery as well. A hot battery will degrade in health much quicker than a cool one.
-article adapted from Lifehacker By Whitson Gordon