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Two-Year, 40-Phone Test Finds Fast Charging Barely Hurts Battery Health

HTX Studio’s measurements after roughly 500 charge cycles show only tiny capacity gaps between fast and slow charging.

Overview

  • Across 40 phones tested over multiple trials, capacity loss after 500 full cycles was nearly the same regardless of charging speed.
  • In the iPhone-specific trial, slowly charged units lost 11.8% capacity versus 12.3% for fast-charged units after 500 cycles.
  • Android results were similar, with 120W fast charging showing about a 0.3% difference in battery health compared with 18W after the same cycling.
  • Keeping charge levels roughly between 30% and 80% offered a modest benefit of only a few percentage points, and leaving a phone at 100% for extended periods showed no measurable harm.
  • HTX Studio’s practical takeaway is to charge however you like, noting that noticeable endurance drops tend to appear under about 85% health, with replacements sensible near 80%.