Often users are wary of magnets lying around their electronics. Someone has told us, or we have seen for ourselves, that these things can easily distort the image, or even break expensive gadgets forever. But is the threat really that great?
Rumors about the dangers of magnets for technology have been around since the first computers. The first PC monitors were equipped with CRTs. Placing a magnet near the CRT screen completely changed its color rendering. But today’s gadgets use completely different technology. CRTs have been replaced by liquid crystals and organic LEDs. New models of mobile gadgets are becoming virtually invulnerable to such influences.
Let’s find out more about whether the magnet is really dangerous for smartphones and PCs.
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Are magnets dangerous for smartphones?
Manufacturers don’t give any information about the negative effects of the phone’s interaction with the magnetic field. Moreover, many original accessories for cell phones are equipped with a magnet. For example, magnets are present in case clasps and car holders. If they threatened the operation of the devices in any way, these products would certainly not be sold by manufacturers and operators.
This only applies to weak magnets. Strong devices can disable certain smartphone functions. But only the fields produced by powerful industrial equipment or a large neodymium magnet nearby are dangerous.
What smartphone options will the magnet interfere with?
Although generally safe, strong radiation can still interfere with some functions on the phone. The magnetic field causes interference with the compass and magnetometer. Accordingly, apps that use the compass may not work correctly. For example, Google Maps may not correctly show your current location.
Sometimes the camera on your smartphone is affected by the field. There are moving parts in the construction of the camera that are responsible, among other things, for bringing the camera into focus. Exposure to a magnet can cause them to become deformed or change their position, affecting the camera’s performance.
Owners of the latest iPhone models may even be prevented by magnets from taking pictures since the smartphone uses optical image stabilization. Therefore, Apple doesn’t recommend the creators of official cases include magnetic components in their products.
Is the magnet dangerous for hard drives on a PC?
The idea that magnets can easily destroy the contents of HDDs is still very popular today. Just remember an episode of the cult series “Breaking Bad”, where the main character Walter White destroys digital evidence against himself with a huge electromagnet. Magnetically recorded data can be damaged with magnets – this applies to such things as cassettes, floppy disks, VHS video tapes, and plastic cards.
Theoretically, damaging a hard drive with an incredibly strong magnet, if you bring it directly to the surface of the drive, is possible. But hard drives contain neodymium magnets. A regular-sized magnet won’t hurt them. If you, for example, attach magnets outside the system box of your PC, it won’t affect the hard drive.
In turn, flash drives and SSDs aren’t affected even by strong static magnetic fields.
Is a magnetic smartphone holder harmful to your device?
If a magnet is often placed near the camera, its parts may become magnetized, creating a small magnetic field that can negatively affect the focus and stabilization of the camera and distort the images. It is worth noting that this does not threaten smartphones with cameras without autofocus and with optical stabilization.
Does it turn out that many owners of expensive smartphones with advanced cameras risk their devices? Don’t claim so: I have several acquaintances, who are behind the wheel very often and hardly ever take their phone off the magnet. Turns out they don’t experience any problems. But still, there is a certain risk.
Another thing is when your holder has built-in wireless charging – it’s a very convenient solution that will allow you to avoid a string of different cords. Recently, manufacturers offer a lot of such accessories. But it is worth remembering the features of wireless charging, which can affect the “health” of your battery.
First, the phone will begin to heat up even more. Higher temperatures affect the lithium that makes up smartphone batteries. Overheating can cause the lithium to degrade faster than normal. In addition, there is a risk of voltage spikes – due to the nature of your car’s wiring, the voltage can fluctuate over a wide range.
Ideally, your smartphone has protection in the form of a charge controller, and the charger itself has another one installed. In any case, constant charging won’t have a positive effect on your device.
Are magnets dangerous for digital cards?
Data recorded on the card can be erased or corrupted if you run a neodymium device near it. Different ones have different degrees of protection, some are easily demagnetized, and some are not. Typically, the most vulnerable are hotel room keys, passes, and other things. Usually, cards with weak protection have a brown stripe.
Bank cards are more secure. This means that if you bring a weak magnet to a credit card, nothing will happen to it.
Magnets are practically safe for modern gadgets. You should not be afraid to use phone accessories with built-in magnets. Negative effects will occur only if you are exposed to strong radiation for a very long time.
