When a smartphone stops gaining charge quickly, it often takes the owner by surprise. Xiaomi Redmi 5, released a few years ago, is still actively used due to its reliability, but time takes its toll. If you notice that the process of connecting to the network has become much more time-consuming than when buying, this is a signal that you need to pay attention to the device.
In most cases, the problem is not one particular element, but a combination of factors, which can be both a simple wear and tear of the battery's chemical composition and a software failure in the MIUI operating system. Understanding the nature of the malfunction is the first step to fixing it.
In this article, we will look at all the possible causes of slow charging, we will touch on the physical condition of the sockets, the quality of the cables and software conflicts, and we will start with simple steps to eliminate trivial user errors.
⚠️ Note: If the phone is charged more 4-5 For hours or warms to an uncomfortable temperature, stop using immediately and remove the device from the network to avoid fire.
Battery wear as the main cause
The most common reason the Xiaomi Redmi 5 takes a long time to charge is the physical wear and tear of the lithium polymer battery. Each charge and discharge cycle irreversibly changes the internal structure of the energy storage device. Over time, the capacity drops and the internal resistance rises, which leads to a slowdown in current flow.
The average battery life is 500-800 The battery can then hold a charge, but the speed of its dialing is critically slowed, and the power controller begins to artificially limit the current to prevent the battery from overheating and bloating.
You can check the battery's condition programmatically or visually, visually, you need to open the case, which is not always advisable, and software methods allow you to assess wear without interference with the design.
For an accurate assessment of the condition, use an engineering menu or third-party utilities. Enter the code ##6485## to access hidden information in the dialer.
In the window open, find the parameter. MB_06 (If it says "Good," it means the system thinks the battery is in good shape, but that doesn't always reflect the actual capacity. MF_02 It shows the number of charge cycles. 500, Chemical degradation is inevitable.
How to decrypt the battery codes?
Problems with charger and cable
The second most important factor is the quality of the periphery used: cheap cables bought at the checkout of a store or in the transition often do not match the declared characteristics, the thin veins inside the wire create high resistance, which makes current cannot travel at the required speed.
The feature of the Quick Charge technology supported by Redmi 5 is to coordinate the voltage between the power supply and the phone. If the cable is damaged or does not have the necessary cross-section, the phone goes into safe charging mode with current 0.5A or 1A, which increases the time by many times.
Notice the Micro-USB connector. Unlike USB-C, it's not symmetrical and it's subject to mechanical wear and tear on the contacts. A shattered socket leads to poor contact, which can cause charging to go on and on.
- 🔌 Use the original power supply with labeling 5V/2A higher.
- 🔌 Replace the cable with a high-quality analogue with thick veins and ferrite filters.
- 🔌 Check the phone connector: it should hold the plug tightly without backlashes.
It is also worth checking the port itself for dust and pile. The compressed dirt at the bottom of the connector prevents the plug from entering to the end, which makes contact only with extreme power contacts, bypassing data lines for fast charging.
Programmatic failures and background processes
Android operating system in conjunction with the shell MIUI sometimes makes errors in the allocation of resources. If the phone is long charged when the screen is turned off, but quickly discharges or warms up, perhaps some process "wakes up" the device, not allowing to go into deep sleep.
Background activity of applications, constant network search or synchronization errors can consume energy faster than it comes in, resulting in the user seeing the illusion of slow charging, when in fact there is a struggle between consumption and accumulation.
To identify the culprit, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Statistics. Here you can see which applications have been using the most power over the past day. If you see unfamiliar processes or abnormally high consumption by system services, you need intervention.
☑️ Background activity check
Often, resetting network settings or removing newly installed applications helps. Viruses and miners can also hide in the system using CPU resources, which directly affects the charging speed.
⚠️ Warning: Do not install "charge accelerators" or "battery cleaners" from unknown sources, and they are often the source of advertising and background processes, exacerbating the problem.
Failures of the power and charge controller
If software and cable replacements don't work, the problem may be hardware. The power controller (PMIC) is a chip that distributes power, and when it surges or gets overheated, it can fail or malfunction.
In Xiaomi Redmi 5, there is a problem with the bottom plume that connects the charging board to the motherboard. Oxidation of the contacts on the plume or damage to it leads to a voltage drop. The phone can indicate that charge is coming, but in fact the current is minimal.
Diagnostics of the board requires multimeter and electronics skills. You need to measure the current consumption in different modes. If the current jumps or does not reach the stated values (for example, 1.5-2A when connected to a powerful unit), repairs are required in the service.
| Symptoms. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Charging is coming in jerks. | Poor contact in a connector or plume | Cleaning the port, replacing the plume |
| Phone's warming up by the connector | Short-circuiting or oxidation | Diagnostics of the board, replacement of the controller |
| The charge is in place with the screen on | Weak power supply or battery wear | Replacement of PD or battery |
| Slow charging even when switched off | Degradation of the battery or controller | Replacement of the battery, repair of the fee |
Self-repairing the power controller at home is impossible without a soldering station and a microscope, and in such cases, contacting the service is the only reasonable way out.
Effects of ambient temperature
Lithium-ion batteries are extremely sensitive to temperature. If you are trying to charge the Redmi 5 in a cold room (below +10 °C) or in direct sunlight (above +35 °C), the protection system blocks the fast charge.
At low temperatures, the chemical reactions inside the battery slow down, and charging is very slow to avoid damaging the electrolyte structure. At high temperatures, the system limits current to avoid thermal acceleration.
The optimal range for charging is from +18°C to +25°C. If the phone has just been brought in from the cold, let it warm to room temperature before connecting to the network. This will take 15-20 minutes.
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Don't put your phone under your pillow while charging. This creates a thermos effect, the device overheats, and the controller reduces the charging current for safety, increasing the process time.
Calibration and optimization of the system
Sometimes the problem is software-based, with the charge level being misrepresented, and the system may think that the battery is full when it's 80 percent charged, or vice versa, and calibration helps.
Calibration is simple, but it takes time. You have to completely decharge the phone before you turn it off automatically. Then, without turning it on, charge it to 100%. After reaching 100%, hold it on charge for another 1-2 hours.
Then you can turn on the device. If the indicator is less than 100%, discharge again and repeat the procedure, which helps the controller to redefinition of the capacitance boundaries.
It is also worth checking for system updates. In Settings → About Phone → System updates often come out with patches that fix power errors. Make sure the MIUI version is not a test version (Beta), as it may contain bugs.
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Full battery calibration (0% discharge and 100% charge when off) helps to reset controller errors, but does not restore the physical capacity of the worn-out battery.