A free Saturday morning. Your phone is fully charged. You head to the mountains for a day of skiing or snowboarding. By the third run, you take out your phone to check the time. The screen is black. Despite several attempts to switch it back on, you have to give up and carry on with your activity.
This is not an isolated case, but a completely predictable behaviour for most mobile devices when exposed to sub-zero temperatures. It is important to know that smartphones are sensitive to extremes: excessive heat shortens the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries, and intense cold can cause them to shut down suddenly.
The good news is that once they are brought back to a normal temperature, mobile phones start working again without any noticeable long-term effects.
Technology expert and author Seth Porges, after testing the effects of extreme cold, found that: “Although some smartphones switch off faster than others in the cold, they all seem to work normally again as soon as the temperature returns to a reasonable level.”
Porges details the thresholds observed: “We noticed that at around -10 degrees, some screens become darker and show a critical low-battery warning.”
He goes on to say: “At -20 degrees, some models would switch off completely, and at -30 degrees almost all devices suffered major problems with screens and batteries, making them practically unusable.”
Linda Nazar, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo, confirms that most phones do not suffer permanent damage after being exposed to cold. She does warn, however, that lower-quality batteries could be permanently damaged. Once the device has warmed up, it should restart without any issues. However, everything depends on the materials used by the battery manufacturer.
Mobile device manufacturers recommend not exposing phones and tablets to very low temperatures.
How does cold disrupt lithium-ion batteries?
The answer is clear: yes, low temperatures (just like high temperatures) harm the performance of lithium-ion batteries.
Temperatures below -10 degrees often cause the charge to drain quickly, or the device to stop working altogether. The explanation lies in physics: extreme cold slows the movement of electrons in the battery to such an extent that it can no longer release energy.
Paradoxically, under moderately cool conditions, the natural self-discharge rate of unused batteries also slows down. This phenomenon explains why some specialists recommend storing spare batteries for laptops or smartphones in a cool place, or even in the fridge.
Key takeaways
It is unwise to rely entirely on your mobile devices when you are travelling in extreme cold. If you go on a winter hike, for example, always have a backup solution for navigation, because your smartphone could suddenly stop working. Consider taking a power bank or finding ways to keep your phone warm.
