It’s not really all that surprising that you need to keep your phone warm this winter. After all, humans invented their lithium-ion batteries in laboratories at human-friendly temperatures. And as a result, when the temperature gets cold on a freezing winter day, we could almost hear it saying ‘honey it’s cold outside’.
How Phones Slow Down in Freezing Winter
Phones get their power from lithium-ion batteries, as ions flow through their electrolytes inside their cases. These microscopic electrical charges move more slowly when the battery gets cold.
The internal resistance inside the battery also increases, and as a result the voltage reduces too. The phone may even shut down completely because it thinks the battery is empty. This is why you need to keep your phone warm this winter.
But that’s not the only impact your smart phone feels from the cold weather. Your phone’s central processing unit ‘brain’ (CPU) also prefers warm, human-friendly temperatures. When the temperature falls:
- The electrical resistance in its circuits decreases.
- Chip-switching thresholds and chip-timings vary.
- The CPU throttles performance to remain reliable.
Your phone manufacturer knew these things when they designed your device. They set lower limits to reduce CPU speed when the temperature falls too far. While at the same time they also set upper limits, that throttle phone speed when its gets too hot.
How to Help Your Phone Stay Warmer Not Hot
The effects of freezing weather on phones are not step changes. They appear gradually, degree by degree, depending on where you happen to be at the time. You could probably ignore this topic completely if you live in balmy California.
However, if you live in Northern Canada, then your phone response time slows in winter, and its battery does not last as long either. It might pay you to invest in a thermal phone cover that insulates your device.
Other smartphone users keep their phones warm in winter by putting them in their pockets, and only using them indoors. Whatever you do, don’t blame your smartphone for what’s happening. Do what you can to keep it warmer all day long.
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