Sony experiments with ‘soft charging’ to keep batteries alive longer

The biggest issue the mobile industry is shaking its head at right now is battery life. These things aren’t getting better as fast as processors and other components, and the more powerful our devices are, the more they need their batteries. Worse, batteries lose capacity over time, so after a few years a full charge can last only a few hours. Sony is looking to address this latter problem.

They call it “soft charging” and it’s a feature we’re seeing on beta Marshmallow firmware for the Xperia Z2, Z3 and Z3 Compact. By turning on “Charging optimization” in settings, you will intentionally mess up the speed at which your device charges. This gentle charging strategy will extend the life of your battery.

However, it is an unusual trade-off. Sure, your battery will last longer, but your phone will take longer to charge. What’s more, individual charges won’t last as long as a more powerful battery. In essence, you are volunteering for small, everyday problems to prevent bigger, future problems.

Although this is a great feature and it’s nice to see innovation in the battery field, we’re not sold on this concept. Since many users change devices every couple of years, if not more often, your battery never lasts. completely We don’t bite. Most people feel frustrated with their batteries at the end of the day, not the end of the year, and this behavior seems to make things worse.

But hey, maybe we’re wrong. We haven’t had a chance to do extensive testing yet. If you have an Xperia Z2, Z3 or Z3 Compact running the beta version of Marshmallow, give Smooth Charging a whirl and let us know what your experience is like in the comments.