Why Does Your Phone Battery Drain Faster in Cold Weather?

You leave home with 65% battery.

Outside, the temperature is below freezing.

Twenty minutes later your phone shows 38%.

You open the camera.

The percentage suddenly drops again.

A few minutes later the phone switches itself off—even though you could swear it still had plenty of charge.

Then something even stranger happens.

You bring the phone indoors, allow it to warm up, turn it back on and discover that some of the missing battery percentage appears to have returned.

Your phone is not imagining things.

Neither are you.

This is cold weather battery drain, and it is one of the most noticeable limitations of the lithium-ion batteries used in modern smartphones.

The key point is that cold weather does not simply make electricity “disappear.”

Instead, low temperatures change what is happening inside the battery.

Lithium ions move more slowly.

The liquid electrolyte becomes less effective at transporting them.

Chemical reactions at the electrodes slow down.

Internal electrical resistance rises.

And when the phone suddenly needs a lot of power, the battery’s voltage can fall below the level required to keep the device operating.

The result can look exactly like rapid battery drain.

Apple explicitly warns that using an iPhone in very cold conditions can temporarily shorten battery life and even cause the device to shut down. It also says normal battery performance should return when the phone reaches a warmer operating temperature. Apple’s temperature guidance for iPhone and iPad recommends normal use between 0°C and 35°C.

Google gives similar advice. Pixel devices may shut down unexpectedly below 0°C, while Samsung recommends an operating range of approximately 0°C to 35°C for Galaxy devices.

So cold weather battery drain is not an iPhone problem, Android problem or one manufacturer’s design flaw.

It is fundamentally a battery-chemistry problem.

Cold Weather Battery Drain at a Glance

What Cold Does	What You Notice
Slows lithium-ion movement	Battery delivers less power
Increases electrolyte resistance	Percentage falls faster under load
Slows electrode reactions	Phone struggles with demanding tasks
Increases internal resistance	Voltage drops more sharply
Reduces accessible capacity	Phone may shut down early
Makes charging more difficult	Charging may slow or stop
Affects older batteries more strongly	Unexpected shutdowns become more common
Usually causes temporary performance loss	Capacity may appear to return after warming

Understanding cold weather battery drain starts with understanding how a smartphone battery produces electricity.

How a Lithium-Ion Phone Battery Actually Works

Your phone battery is not simply a container filled with electricity.

It is an electrochemical system.

A typical lithium-ion cell contains:

an anode;

a cathode;

an electrolyte;

a separator;

and current collectors.

During discharge, lithium ions move internally through the electrolyte while electrons travel through the external electrical circuit and power your phone.

During charging, the process is driven in the opposite direction.

The U.S. Department of Energy explains that lithium-ion battery operation depends on lithium moving between electrodes through an electrolyte while electrons move through the external circuit. DOE’s explanation of lithium battery structure also illustrates why battery performance depends on the interaction of many different materials rather than one simple chemical reaction.

At comfortable temperatures, this movement happens efficiently.

Cool the battery and everything becomes harder.

That is the foundation of cold weather battery drain.

1. Lithium Ions Move More Slowly in the Cold

Temperature affects chemical reactions.

Generally, lower temperatures reduce molecular and ionic movement.

Inside a lithium-ion battery, lithium ions must travel through several environments.

They move through the electrolyte.

They cross interfaces.

They enter and leave electrode materials.

Each of these steps becomes slower when temperature falls.

A major review of low-temperature lithium-ion batteries identified reduced lithium-ion diffusion, slower electrode reactions and increased transport barriers as major causes of poor cold-weather performance. The review in Advanced Materials describes low-temperature ion transport as one of the central limitations of conventional lithium-ion chemistry.

Imagine commuters moving through a railway station.

Under ordinary conditions, everyone moves smoothly through corridors and gates.

Now imagine every corridor becoming crowded and every doorway becoming harder to pass.

The commuters still exist.

They simply cannot move quickly enough.

Something similar happens inside a cold battery.

The energy is not necessarily gone.

The battery becomes worse at delivering it.

2. The Electrolyte Becomes Less Effective

The electrolyte is essential because lithium ions need it to move between electrodes.

At lower temperatures, conventional liquid electrolytes become more viscous and ionic conductivity falls.

That means lithium ions move less freely.

A 2025 National Renewable Energy Laboratory report on lithium-ion batteries in cold climates explains that below 0°C, the electrolyte becomes more viscous, ion mobility slows and internal resistance rises. NREL’s cold-weather battery analysis discusses these effects in electric vehicles, but the underlying lithium-ion chemistry also applies to the much smaller batteries inside smartphones.

Recent scientific reviews describe the same problem.

Below freezing, conventional lithium-ion batteries experience reduced capacity and power because ionic transport through the electrolyte and electrodes slows substantially.

This contributes directly to cold weather battery drain.

Your phone is asking the battery to provide energy at normal speed.

The cold battery is struggling to move ions quickly enough to meet that demand.

3. Internal Resistance Increases

Every real battery has internal resistance.

When current flows, some energy is lost inside the cell itself.

At normal temperatures, modern smartphone batteries have sufficiently low resistance to provide large bursts of power.

Cold temperatures increase that resistance.

The battery can therefore have difficulty supplying high current.

NASA battery research has long identified low-temperature resistance as a major challenge for lithium-ion systems. NASA’s work on low-temperature batteries notes that slow lithium diffusion and increased resistance severely reduce performance at low temperatures.

This increased resistance produces one of the most important effects behind cold weather battery drain:

voltage sag.

4. The Battery Voltage Can Suddenly Drop

Your phone needs its battery voltage to remain within a safe operating range.

Suppose the battery is cold.

You open the camera.

Now the phone suddenly needs extra power for:

the display;

camera sensor;

image processor;

CPU;

GPU;

storage;

mobile connection.

Current demand rises.

Because the cold battery has higher internal resistance, its terminal voltage falls more sharply under this load.

The phone’s battery-management system sees the voltage approaching an unsafe level.

It may shut the phone down.

This can happen even though chemical energy remains inside the battery.

That is why cold weather battery drain sometimes produces the strange experience of a phone shutting down while showing 20%, 30% or even more.

The battery was not necessarily completely empty.

It temporarily became unable to provide enough voltage under load.

Your Battery Percentage Is an Estimate

The percentage displayed at the top of your screen is not produced by a tiny measuring cup inside the battery.

The phone estimates state of charge.

Battery-management software uses information such as:

voltage;

current;

temperature;

charging history;

battery aging;

and mathematical models

to estimate how much usable energy remains.

Cold temperatures complicate that calculation because the relationship between voltage and available capacity changes.

A phone may estimate that substantial energy remains.

Then a demanding task produces rapid voltage sag.

The system revises its estimate—or shuts down to protect itself.

Google explicitly notes that phone battery capacity is estimated by the battery’s fuel-gauge system and that battery condition affects the device’s ability to deliver power at temperature extremes. Google’s Pixel battery guidance also notes that replacing an aged battery can improve performance in both cold and warm environments.

That is why cold weather battery drain can look less gradual than ordinary battery consumption.

5. Why the Battery Percentage Can Come Back Indoors

This is the part that feels almost impossible.

Your phone shuts down outside.

You bring it inside.

Twenty minutes later you turn it on.

It now shows 25%.

Where did the electricity come from?

Nowhere.

The battery warmed.

As temperature rises:

ion mobility improves;

electrolyte conductivity improves;

internal resistance falls;

electrode reactions become faster;

and voltage recovers.

Energy that was temporarily difficult to access becomes usable again.

Apple explicitly describes this effect, saying cold-weather battery-life reductions are temporary and battery performance returns to normal when the battery warms.

This is one of the biggest differences between cold weather battery drain and permanent battery degradation.

Cold can temporarily hide usable capacity.

Heat is generally much more damaging to long-term battery health.

Cold Weather and Hot Weather Damage Batteries Differently

Both extremes are bad.

But they are bad in different ways.

Cold Weather

Primarily causes temporary loss of:

available capacity;

power;

charging speed;

and voltage stability.

Excessive Heat

Can accelerate permanent chemical degradation.

Apple warns that using or charging an iPhone above 35°C can permanently shorten battery lifespan.

Google similarly recommends charging Pixel phones around normal room temperature and avoiding prolonged high-temperature exposure.

Argonne National Laboratory researchers explain that elevated temperatures accelerate unwanted chemical side reactions inside lithium batteries. Argonne’s battery degradation overview describes how these reactions gradually change electrode surfaces and battery materials.

So if you must choose between temporarily cold and chronically hot, heat is generally the bigger long-term aging threat.

That does not make cold weather battery drain harmless in every circumstance—particularly when charging is involved.

6. Charging a Very Cold Battery Can Be More Problematic Than Using It

Discharging a battery in cold weather mainly causes poor performance.

Charging one at very low temperature creates additional risks.

When a lithium-ion battery charges normally, lithium ions move into the graphite anode.

At low temperatures, this process becomes sluggish.

If charging current is too high, lithium may fail to enter the graphite efficiently and instead deposit as metallic lithium on the anode surface.

This is known as lithium plating.

A scientific review of lithium-ion batteries below freezing identifies lithium plating as one of the major safety and lifespan problems associated with cold charging. Research on lithium-ion batteries in low-temperature environments explains that low diffusion rates and slow interfacial processes make charging especially challenging below 0°C.

NASA likewise identifies metallic lithium plating as a major low-temperature charging concern.

Modern phones therefore monitor battery temperature.

If the battery is too cold, the phone may:

reduce charging current;

charge extremely slowly;

or refuse to charge temporarily.

That behavior is a protection feature, not a malfunction.

Samsung says charging may be limited when Galaxy devices move outside recommended temperature ranges. Samsung’s battery care guidance similarly recommends allowing a device exposed to extreme temperatures to return gradually to its normal operating range.

Do Not Try to Heat a Frozen Phone Quickly

Suppose your phone has been sitting outside at −10°C.

You come indoors.

Do not place it:

on a radiator;

beside a heater;

under a hair dryer;

or against another strong heat source.

Rapid heating is unnecessary and can create other problems.

Allow the phone to warm gradually at room temperature.

Google specifically recommends allowing a cold Pixel to warm gradually.

There is another reason.

Condensation.

A very cold object moved into warm humid air can collect moisture as the air around it cools below its dew point.

Modern phones have substantial water resistance, but water resistance is not an invitation to deliberately create moisture around ports and electronics.

Letting the device acclimatize naturally is safer.

7. Older Phone Batteries Suffer More in Winter

You may notice something interesting.

A brand-new phone survives winter fairly well.

Two or three years later, the same model begins shutting down in cold weather.

Battery aging is often the reason.

As lithium-ion batteries age:

usable capacity falls;

internal resistance rises;

electrode materials change;

chemical side reactions accumulate.

Now add cold.

Cold raises resistance further.

An old battery therefore reaches the shutdown threshold much more easily than a healthy one.

This explains why cold weather battery drain can suddenly become noticeable after several years even though the phone survived previous winters without difficulty.

Google notes that lithium-ion batteries are consumable components and that aging reduces their ability to deliver power under extreme temperatures.

The News Ink’s article on car depreciation discusses a larger-scale version of the same issue: battery condition and improvements in battery technology increasingly influence how consumers value used electric vehicles.

The battery in your phone is much smaller.

The electrochemical aging principle is related.

8. Heavy Phone Use Makes the Problem More Visible

Imagine your phone is cold but sitting unused.

Power demand is low.

Now start recording 4K video.

Power demand jumps.

Or launch a demanding game.

Or use:

5G;

GPS navigation;

high screen brightness;

camera processing;

on-device AI.

The battery must provide much higher current.

Because its cold internal resistance is elevated, voltage sag becomes greater.

That is why cold weather battery drain often becomes noticeable at exactly the moment you try to take a photograph on a snowy mountain.

Modern smartphones are extremely powerful computers.

The News Ink’s article on on-device AI features boosting smartphone performance explains how phones increasingly perform demanding image processing, machine learning and other computation locally.

Those tasks require energy.

A warm battery may provide it easily.

A very cold battery may struggle.

9. Weak Mobile Signal Can Make Cold Weather Battery Drain Look Worse

Cold itself may not be the only issue.

Many situations involving cold phones also involve:

mountains;

ski resorts;

remote roads;

outdoor hiking;

rural areas.

Mobile signal may be weak.

A smartphone continuously working to maintain or find a cellular connection can consume more power than one sitting comfortably on Wi-Fi.

GPS navigation may also remain active.

The display may be bright to compensate for outdoor light.

The camera may be used frequently.

All these effects stack on top of cold weather battery drain.

So a winter phone dying quickly can result from:

cold battery chemistry + high screen use + cameras + GPS + weak cellular coverage.

Not everything is caused by temperature alone.

10. Software Problems Can Also Mimic Cold Weather Battery Drain

Suppose your battery begins draining unusually fast indoors as well.

Then cold weather may not be the main explanation.

Other possibilities include:

background apps;

software bugs;

poor network signal;

battery aging;

malware;

recent operating-system updates;

location services;

high display brightness.

The News Ink’s guide to malware warning signs notes that suspicious background activity can sometimes contribute to abnormal battery consumption on mobile devices.

That does not mean battery drain automatically indicates malware.

It means diagnosis requires context.

If the phone drains rapidly only when it is freezing outside and improves after warming, cold weather battery drain is a much more plausible explanation.

Why Doesn’t Your Phone Just Heat Its Own Battery?

Electric cars often do exactly that.

Electric vehicles can have sophisticated battery thermal-management systems.

They may actively heat battery packs in cold weather.

But an EV battery weighs hundreds of kilograms and contains enormous amounts of stored energy.

A phone has very limited battery capacity.

Using an electrical heater simply to keep its own battery warm could consume a meaningful portion of the energy the phone is trying to save.

It would also add:

weight;

cost;

space;

control hardware;

and thermal complexity.

Smartphones instead rely heavily on passive thermal design and software protection.

Interestingly, this is the same engineering challenge seen throughout modern computing.

The News Ink’s AI Chips and Data Centers Explained examines the opposite problem: enormous computing systems generate so much heat that engineers must spend significant energy removing it.

Phones have to operate within both limits.

Too hot is bad.

Too cold is bad.

Electric Cars Have the Same Basic Cold-Weather Problem

If lithium-ion chemistry is the cause, electric cars should also suffer in winter.

They do.

NREL measurements and research show that cold temperatures reduce lithium-ion battery power, usable energy and charging efficiency in electric vehicles.

The scale is different, but the chemistry is related.

EV manufacturers compensate using:

battery heaters;

thermal-management systems;

preconditioning;

larger battery packs.

A smartphone cannot afford that level of hardware.

The broader lesson is that cold weather battery drain is not a smartphone-specific phenomenon.

It is one manifestation of the temperature sensitivity of rechargeable lithium-ion technology.

What Is Happening at the Electrode Surface?

To understand the deeper science, we need to look at something called the solid electrolyte interphase, usually abbreviated SEI.

During a lithium-ion battery’s early operation, reactions between the electrolyte and the anode create a thin protective layer on the anode surface.

This layer is necessary.

It helps stabilize the battery.

But lithium ions still need to pass through it.

At low temperatures, this interfacial transport becomes more difficult.

Research involving Argonne National Laboratory scientists has shown that the SEI plays an important role in determining low-temperature lithium-ion battery performance. The Argonne-associated SEI study investigated how interfacial chemistry can become a major bottleneck under extreme cold.

A 2022 review likewise concluded that low-temperature battery resistance can be dominated by slow charge transfer at electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Research on low-temperature battery interfaces explains why simply preventing the electrolyte from freezing does not solve the entire problem.

This is why engineers cannot completely fix cold weather battery drain by adding ordinary antifreeze-like chemicals.

Multiple parts of the cell become limiting.

Why Doesn’t the Battery Electrolyte Simply Freeze Solid?

At typical winter temperatures, smartphone battery electrolyte does not necessarily turn into a solid block in the way water freezes at 0°C.

Lithium-ion electrolytes use organic solvent mixtures designed to operate across substantial temperature ranges.

The problem begins before literal freezing.

Viscosity increases.

Ionic conductivity decreases.

Solvation behavior changes.

Electrode kinetics become sluggish.

A Nature Energy review of lithium-ion batteries at extreme temperatures explains that batteries experience temperature-related limitations across the electrolyte, anode, cathode and interfacial materials. Nature Energy’s review highlights why low-temperature operation requires engineering the entire cell.

So cold weather battery drain is not primarily about the battery liquid turning into ice.

It is about slowing electrochemistry.

How Cold Is Too Cold for a Smartphone?

There is no universal number for every phone.

Manufacturer guidance matters.

Apple currently specifies an ambient operating range of approximately:

0°C to 35°C

for iPhones and iPads.

Samsung gives a similar preferred operating range for Galaxy devices.

Google says Pixel phones below 0°C may enter a cold state and can shut down unexpectedly.

That does not mean a phone instantly fails at −1°C.

The effect depends on:

battery temperature;

duration of exposure;

battery health;

current charge level;

device workload;

wind;

insulation.

A phone inside your warm pocket may remain much warmer than the outdoor air.

A phone mounted on an exposed bicycle handlebar may cool much faster.

Why Keeping the Phone in Your Pocket Works

Your body is a useful heater.

An inside jacket pocket creates a warmer microenvironment around the phone.

That slows the fall in battery temperature.

The phone does not need tropical conditions.

It simply performs much better when kept reasonably close to normal operating temperatures.

For someone skiing or hiking, keeping the phone near the body and removing it only when needed can dramatically reduce cold weather battery drain.

Avoid an exposed outer pocket if temperatures are severe.

Should You Use a Power Bank in the Cold?

A power bank usually contains lithium-ion or lithium-polymer cells too.

It therefore suffers from many of the same temperature limitations.

Keeping both the phone and power bank warm is more useful than carrying a frozen power bank and expecting normal performance.

Charging should also follow manufacturer temperature guidance.

If either device is extremely cold, allow it to warm before charging aggressively.

Does Airplane Mode Help?

Yes, when connectivity is unnecessary.

Airplane mode does not change battery chemistry.

But it lowers the amount of power the phone requests.

Reducing demand makes voltage sag less severe.

Other ways of lowering consumption include:

reducing display brightness;

avoiding unnecessary camera use;

turning off unused hotspot functions;

downloading maps beforehand;

using Wi-Fi where appropriate;

enabling low-power mode.

The News Ink’s article on physical-keyboard smartphones and simpler digital habits highlights the broader relationship between simpler device usage and reduced demand on modern smartphone hardware.

During extreme cold, simpler usage can have a very practical battery benefit.

Does Low-Power Mode Fix Cold Weather Battery Drain?

It cannot fix the chemistry.

But it can help.

Low-power modes reduce energy demand by limiting some combination of:

background activity;

processor performance;

display behavior;

network processes;

automatic updates.

Lower current demand means less voltage drop across the battery’s elevated internal resistance.

So the phone may remain usable longer.

Think of it as reducing the workload placed on a temporarily weakened battery.

Does Wireless Charging Warm the Battery?

Wireless charging generates some heat.

But deliberately using inefficient charging as a battery heater is not a good strategy.

Phones already have thermal and charging-management systems.

Follow manufacturer recommendations rather than attempting to manipulate battery temperature through chargers, heaters or improvised insulation.

The goal is moderate temperature, not maximum heat.

Does Cold Permanently Damage a Phone Battery?

Ordinary temporary exposure usually causes a temporary performance loss rather than immediate permanent capacity destruction.

Apple specifically says cold-related battery-life reduction generally returns to normal after the device warms.

However, repeated operation or charging under conditions outside manufacturer recommendations is not ideal.

Very low-temperature charging deserves particular caution because of lithium plating.

And extreme exposure can affect components beyond the battery.

The safest principle is simple:

cold weather battery drain is usually reversible; extreme temperature abuse should still be avoided.

Why New Battery Technology Is Trying to Solve This

The problem extends far beyond smartphones.

Future batteries are expected to operate in:

electric aircraft;

Arctic equipment;

spacecraft;

Mars rovers;

electric vehicles;

remote sensors.

NASA notes that conventional lithium-ion battery performance becomes severely limited at temperatures below roughly −20°C in demanding space applications. NASA’s low-temperature battery development program describes efforts to create batteries capable of functioning reliably at much colder temperatures.

Researchers are working on:

new electrolytes;

different salts;

special additives;

modified electrode surfaces;

alternative anodes;

improved interfaces.

A 2023 review of low-temperature electrolytes concludes that improving lithium-ion transport through both the liquid electrolyte and electrode interfaces is central to extending battery operation into colder environments. The review in Electrochemical Energy Reviews summarizes many of these approaches.

Today’s cold weather battery drain may therefore become less severe as battery chemistry evolves.

But temperature is likely to remain an important engineering constraint.

How to Protect Your Phone Battery in Cold Weather

A few practical habits can significantly reduce problems.

Keep the Phone Close to Your Body

An inside jacket pocket is better than an exposed backpack pocket.

Start With a Healthy Charge

A nearly empty battery has less margin before voltage reaches the shutdown threshold.

Reduce Heavy Tasks

Avoid unnecessary gaming, long video recording or hotspot use in extreme cold.

Use Low-Power Mode

Lower demand can help the battery maintain sufficient voltage.

Keep Power Banks Warm Too

They rely on similar battery chemistry.

Let the Phone Warm Gradually

If the device becomes extremely cold, bring it indoors and allow it to return naturally toward room temperature.

Avoid Charging When Extremely Cold

Wait until the battery is within the recommended charging range.

Consider Battery Health

A phone that repeatedly shuts down in modest cold may have an aged battery requiring replacement.

These steps cannot eliminate cold weather battery drain, but they can greatly reduce its effects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my phone battery drain faster in cold weather?

Cold weather battery drain occurs because low temperatures slow lithium-ion movement, increase internal battery resistance and reduce how efficiently the cell can deliver power.

Does cold actually remove battery charge?

Not necessarily. Cold can temporarily make part of the stored energy difficult to access. This is why some apparent battery capacity can return after the phone warms.

Why does my phone shut down at 20% in cold weather?

Higher internal resistance can cause battery voltage to drop sharply when the phone demands power. The protection system may shut the device down even though some chemical energy remains.

Why does the battery percentage rise again after warming?

As temperature increases, internal resistance falls and chemical reactions speed up. The battery can once again deliver energy that was temporarily unavailable.

Is cold weather permanently bad for phone batteries?

Typical temporary cold exposure mainly causes temporary performance loss. Excessive heat is generally a stronger cause of permanent battery aging.

Should I charge my phone when it is freezing cold?

It is better to let an extremely cold phone return to its recommended operating temperature before charging. Low-temperature charging can increase the risk of lithium plating.

Why does an old phone shut down more often in winter?

Older batteries usually have higher internal resistance and reduced capacity. Cold increases resistance further, making unexpected shutdowns more likely.

Does putting my phone in my pocket help?

Yes. Keeping the phone close to your body helps maintain a warmer battery temperature and can reduce cold weather battery drain.

Can a phone survive below 0°C?

Many phones can physically survive brief exposure below freezing, but manufacturers generally recommend normal operation at or above 0°C and warn of temporary shutdowns or reduced battery performance outside the recommended range.

Why do electric cars lose battery performance in winter too?

Electric vehicles also use lithium-ion batteries. Low temperatures reduce ion mobility, increase resistance and lower usable energy, although EVs use active heating systems to compensate.

Cold Weather Battery Drain Is Mostly a Chemistry Problem

Your phone is not frightened of winter.

Its chemistry simply becomes less efficient.

A lithium-ion battery depends on ions moving through liquids, interfaces and solid materials.

Lower the temperature and every one of those processes becomes more difficult.

Ion movement slows.

The electrolyte becomes less conductive.

The electrode interfaces become more resistant.

Internal resistance rises.

Voltage drops further whenever the phone demands significant power.

Eventually, the device may reach a point where it cannot maintain the voltage required to operate safely.

It shuts down.

Then you bring it indoors.

The battery warms.

Lithium-ion movement improves.

Resistance falls.

Voltage recovers.

And suddenly some of the battery you thought had disappeared appears again.

That is the strange reality of cold weather battery drain.

The energy was not necessarily gone.

Your battery temporarily lost the ability to deliver all of it efficiently.

It also explains why cold affects older phones so dramatically.

Battery aging already increases resistance.

Winter adds another layer of resistance on top.

A healthy battery may cope.

An old one crosses the shutdown threshold.

And while the cold can be frustrating, it is useful to remember the opposite problem.

Heat accelerates the unwanted reactions that permanently age lithium-ion batteries.

Cold tends to make a healthy battery temporarily weaker.

Excessive heat can make it permanently worse.

Modern smartphones compensate using:

temperature sensors;

battery-management software;

charging limits;

power controls;

and automatic shutdown protection.

The News Ink’s coverage of autonomous mobile robots shows how other battery-powered machines also actively manage charging and energy use because battery state is central to reliable operation.

Phone batteries operate on a much smaller scale, but the engineering challenge is the same.

Store a lot of energy.

Release it safely.

Protect the chemistry.

And keep the battery within a temperature range where it works efficiently.

Until lithium-ion chemistry changes substantially, cold weather battery drain will remain one of the trade-offs of carrying an extremely powerful computer powered by a battery thin enough to fit in your pocket.

So the next time your phone reaches 15% far earlier than expected on a freezing winter day, remember:

it may not actually have used every bit of its remaining energy.

Some of that energy may simply be waiting for spring—or at least a warm room.

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