Can fast-charging damage a smartphone battery?

A short battery life is one of the most annoying things about a smartphone. Sometimes it doesn't even last the entire day, and by the time evening comes, the phone has to be plugged in to charge. 

Some manufacturers offer a quick-charge option that gives the battery enough juice in a few minutes to last a few hours. However, there's a widespread belief that this fast-charging can damage the battery. 

Stephan Scheuer, a battery expert at a leading technical inspection association, says that higher currents produce higher temperatures. 

These, in turn, lead to "accelerated chemical reactions that result in partially irreversible physical reactions in the electrolyte and in the materials," says Scheuer, of a regional branch of Germany's Tuev association. 

But Torsten Neumann, from Chip computer magazine, says this problem has always existed when charging batteries. "When electricity flows, some of it is converted into heat. That's why the manufacturers know how to largely compensate for these negative effects," he says. 

Which is all to say: There's no need to worry that fast-charging will wear out your smartphone's battery any faster than normal charging. — dpa