CompTIA A+ 220-1101 (V14) Practice Question

The most likely cause for both rapid battery drain and overheating in a two-year-old phone is that the battery's health has degraded. Lithium-ion batteries have a finite lifespan, typically 300-500 charge cycles, and their ability to hold a charge and deliver power stably diminishes over time. This degradation increases internal resistance, causing the battery to heat up and lose charge quickly. While a rogue application or constantly searching for a weak cellular signal can also cause these symptoms, an aging battery is the most probable underlying hardware failure given the device's age and the presence of both symptoms together. A faulty charging cable would primarily affect charging, not cause drain and heat during general use.