won't charge past 90%

[Exist]

Hi, I just got my Steam Deck five days ago. Now it will not charge past 90%, suddenly today. The battery health in desktop mode is at 100. What do? Thanks

[SlowMango]

Once it hits 90%, the charging slows down dramatically to preserve battery health. Once it hits 100% the power will bypass the battery so it can discharge to about 90-93% to preserve battery health.

[Exist]

Ok but I left it charging overnight and it was still 90% when I woke up. Is that normal? Thanks for the response btw

[SlowMango]

Originally posted by Exist:

Ok but I left it charging overnight and it was still 90% when I woke up. Is that normal? Thanks for the response btw

You might have just grabbed it while it was discharging.

[Mahjik]

Once it hits 100%, if it's left on a power source for an extended amount of time, it will discharge down to 90-93%. i.e. it will not maintain a 100% charge to reduce damaging the battery.

[Exist]

Sorry, Im still understanding, so if I leave it plugged in longer, the charge will be full eventually?

[SlowMango]

Originally posted by Exist:

Sorry, Im still understanding, so if I leave it plugged in longer, the charge will be full eventually?

It will cycle. Once it hits it's discharge percentage, it will charge back up to 100% slowly.

[Exist]

I am skeptical of your explanation because no other device I have works like that (phone, both PC's), and because I have seen that other people's Decks have had faulty batteries. I submitted a ticket with Steam. I hope you're right though because I don't want to wait again for a replacement.

[Nyan~]

Exist, most laptops actually do behave like that, the charging EC just lies to the OS and shows 100%
If you've ever unplugged your computer and it immediately starts reporting that it's at 95% instead of 100% that's why

[Exist]

TY for your response Nyan, so you guys really think my Steam Deck is ok and doesn't need to be replaced?

[SlowMango]

Originally posted by Exist:

TY for your response Nyan, so you guys really think my Steam Deck is ok and doesn't need to be replaced?

Plug it in and just check on it every 30min or so. Valve released a statement explaining it.

[raventhehunter]

Originally posted by Exist:

TY for your response Nyan, so you guys really think my Steam Deck is ok and doesn't need to be replaced?

This is something that's been on my mind as well (because I've had a few other expensive things crap out due to battery issues), and I've consequently been closely watching my battery usage (by having the second level performance overlay active) while I play. My battery health is reported as 96%, so I'm good there.

If I unplug the charger and play for however long it takes to run the battery down by a good bit--it varies by how heavily the game leans on the hardware--and then plug it back in, it'll charge normally until it hits around 92-95%. At that point, the charging will slow down steadily--I can see the charging capacity decrease in the battery section of the Deck's "..." menu--until it comes to a complete stop at around 96-98%. My battery will report as full, and I can play for hours plugged in with only a minute drop in the displayed charge percentage.

So for whatever my untrained and basic observation is worth, it looks like it's working as intended.

[MJ711]

Originally posted by Exist:

I am skeptical of your explanation because no other device I have works like that (phone, both PC's), and because I have seen that other people's Decks have had faulty batteries. I submitted a ticket with Steam. I hope you're right though because I don't want to wait again for a replacement.

Samsungs phones work like that.

[Mahjik]

My work laptop does this. It's plugged in 24/7 and never charges above 94-95% while on charge. I can trick it to go up to 100% buy in plugging and re-plugging it back. However, eventually, it will discharge from 100% if left on the charger for a long time again.

[Final]

Is there a way to disable this feature

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by Final:

Is there a way to disable this feature

No it is built into the charging circuit.

REF: https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/69E3-14AF-9764-4C28

Power and charging
If it's your first time using your Steam Deck, you'll need to plug it in for a short time using the provided power supply in order to wake it from the battery-saving shipment mode. If you've used your Steam Deck before but it's currently not powering on, plug it in and check the LED next to the charging port.
If the LED is lit, the unit is receiving charge. The LED will remain lit when the unit reaches full charge.
If the LED flashes after pressing the power button, the battery is currently depleted. Plug it in using the provided PSU, confirm the LED is on, and leave it to charge for at least 15 minutes before powering it on.
If your Steam Deck appears to be charging normally but the power button is unresponsive, you can try holding the Volume + button while powering it on, then selecting Continue to boot from the BIOS options.

If your device has been left on the charger for long periods of time, it may report less than 100% charge. This is normal. We allow the battery to slowly discharge after long periods of time under charge to optimize long-term battery health.

Steam Deck uses USB Power Delivery and does not support Fast Charging or Quick Charge specifications.