A technology boffin claims that charging mobile phones to 100 per cent of capacity will slowly damage batteries. Eric Limer has done some testing and discovered that a full charge is not good for phones and the idea of an overnight charge is causing damage as the devices should be unplugged before they reach full capacity.

"For the most part, going from all the way full to all the way empty won’t help; in fact, it’ll do a little damage if you do it too often," he said.

Batteries should be maintained at just over half full charge capacity, but kept below 100 per cent charge.

"That said, it’s smart to do one full discharge about once a month," Limer said.

According to Limer, phones that are charged to levels somewhere between 40 per cent and 80 per cent would keep batteries in tip-top condition. He added that instructions to give a super-long charge before using a mobile for the first time were only applicable for old-fashioned nickel-based cells and not necessary for lithium-ion batteries used in today's devices.

Another tip for prolonging battery life is keeping the phone cool – optimally at around 15C - Limer added.