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User profile for user: Chuchuman
Chuchuman Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

What happens to the battery if I leave a newly bought iPhone SE unpacked for a long time?

What happens to the battery if I leave a newly bought iPhone SE unpacked for a long time? I recently bought an iPhone SE back. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift for my son, but due to Corona virus related travel restrictions, we were not able to celebrate Christmas together and thus I was not able to give him his new phone. So, it looks like it will be sitting on my desk unpacked for several months (6 months or more) before I can give it to him. I am worried that this may be detrimental for the phone's battery. Should I remove it from its packaging and charge the battery? If so, should I fully charge it (100%), or just 50%? Any advice would be very much appreciated.

iPhone SE

Posted on Dec 27, 2021 6:37 AM

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User profile for user: y_p_w
y_p_w
User level: Level 6
17,642 points

Posted on Dec 27, 2021 9:28 AM

It’s usually recommended for long term storage that a battery be stored in the middle of the charge range. Most Apple devices and replacement batteries are distributed this way. There’s nothing particularly damaging about charging up to 100%, turning it off, and leaving it in storage, but in the middle is supposed to be a little bit better for long term reliability.


Eventually it’s going to reach a deep discharge state (well below the 0% level that results in a forced auto shutdown), but that can take I’d think at least a year, and not likely if it started off at at least 50%. Deep discharge is more likely if it started off at close to 0% and is stored.


You might try just charging it to see what level it’s at. You wouldn’t need to activate it. It doesn’t need to be at a precise charge level for storage.

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User profile for user: y_p_w
y_p_w
User level: Level 6
17,642 points

Dec 27, 2021 9:28 AM in response to Chuchuman

It’s usually recommended for long term storage that a battery be stored in the middle of the charge range. Most Apple devices and replacement batteries are distributed this way. There’s nothing particularly damaging about charging up to 100%, turning it off, and leaving it in storage, but in the middle is supposed to be a little bit better for long term reliability.


Eventually it’s going to reach a deep discharge state (well below the 0% level that results in a forced auto shutdown), but that can take I’d think at least a year, and not likely if it started off at at least 50%. Deep discharge is more likely if it started off at close to 0% and is stored.


You might try just charging it to see what level it’s at. You wouldn’t need to activate it. It doesn’t need to be at a precise charge level for storage.

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What happens to the battery if I leave a newly bought iPhone SE unpacked for a long time?

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