A user's two-year-old smartphone is frequently overheating and the battery is draining much faster than normal. The user states they have already closed all background apps and lowered the screen brightness, but the issue persists. Which of the following is the MOST likely root cause?
A rogue application is consuming excessive CPU resources.
The charging cable is faulty.
The battery's health has degraded over time.
The device is consistently used in an area with a weak cellular signal.
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.
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