How Cold Is Too Cold For Modern Electronics?

Typical operating ranges for consumer electronics is typically something like 0 to 50 deg C. Stuff designed for industrial use is more like -40 to +85 C and military is -55 to 125 C.

Phones, tablets, and laptops typically have a narrower range than that, partly due to the display and partly due to them cramming 14 lbs of crap into a 5 lb bag. If the operating temperature gets much above 35 deg C or so these devices will often overheat. These types of devices can also be damaged when powered off if the storage temperature exceeds about 40 to 45 deg C. The temperature inside a closed car in the summer can easily get into the 65 to 70 deg C range which can permanently fry these types of devices.

Condensation can be an issue. You are more likely to get condensation going from warm to cold as warm air can hold more moisture.

The internet seems to think that rice is some sort of super-desiccant that will draw the moisture out of your cell phone or tablet. While rice is a mild desiccant, building a shrine to the Flying Spaghetti Monster on your counter and placing the phone in that shrine is generally just as effective. The main thing for moisture is to REMOVE THE BATTERY and let the device dry out. Unlike many internet remedies, rice doesn’t actually do any harm, but it generally doesn’t do any good either.

It’s not usually an issue for most folks, but many cell phones, tablets, and laptops don’t do well at altitudes above 10,000 feet. This isn’t a problem on passenger airplanes since they are pressurized to something like 8,000 feet, but if you use your tablet or laptop in an unpressurized plane you might have an issue. A lot of general aviation pilots use tablets and phones for things like charts and GPS navigation these days, and many of them are in small, unpressurized planes.

Not.

Lithium ion batteries don’t do well in heat. Constantly exposing them to temperatures above 35 deg C or so will drastically shorten their lives.