Cell phone batteries
- Thread starter JimS
- Start date
tmbrown97
Senior Member
Minutes ago I looked at the same thing - needing a new battery for my Harmony. I went with the $6 one, not the $40... the reviews said it worked fine. I'll know Saturday.
That's what it comes down to for me... if enough people have bought it and had success, then what can it hurt?
That's what it comes down to for me... if enough people have bought it and had success, then what can it hurt?
elvisimprsntr
Active Member
Buying an off brand battery for a Logitech remote is one thing. A cell phone battery is a different thing altogether because of the power density/capacity and over charge/heat protection the phone has, designed to work with OEM batteries. We've all seen or read the stories of Li-Ion batteries catching on fire or exploding.
Likely one reason Apple products do not include replaceable batteries. The user has a void the warranty by ripping apart the device, leaving physical evidence, to replace the battery with a low cost, questionable knockoff.
Likely one reason Apple products do not include replaceable batteries. The user has a void the warranty by ripping apart the device, leaving physical evidence, to replace the battery with a low cost, questionable knockoff.
drvnbysound
Senior Member
JimS said:
That tells me enough.
pete_c
Guru
Not too long ago here returned a rechargeable lithium battery pack that was supposed to be a replacement for same said battery. It was labeled as X number of cells (laptop battery?). I weighed when I got it and it lighter than the original.
I then charged it and did get a good time frame of use with it. Second charge though took it to 50% time frame use of it.
I keep seeing references going to batteries plus. Experience wise I have not been impressed with their wares (batteries).
In a nice two sentence reason I mentioned counterfeit battery packs was the reasoning for my return. I got a similar looking replacement from the vendor that weighed the same as the original battery pack I was replacing.
I have also returned cell phone batteries if they have lasted only a month's worth of charging.
So far haven't seen any issues with my Wintel phone battery (now over year old).
I then charged it and did get a good time frame of use with it. Second charge though took it to 50% time frame use of it.
I keep seeing references going to batteries plus. Experience wise I have not been impressed with their wares (batteries).
In a nice two sentence reason I mentioned counterfeit battery packs was the reasoning for my return. I got a similar looking replacement from the vendor that weighed the same as the original battery pack I was replacing.
I have also returned cell phone batteries if they have lasted only a month's worth of charging.
So far haven't seen any issues with my Wintel phone battery (now over year old).
In general, you get what you pay for with the off brand batteries. But usually, with the counterfeits of brand name batteries, you get less than what you pay for. And some of the counterfeits are almost indistinguishable from the real ones in terms of packaging and markings.
There are some web sites (including from manufacturers) that show real batteries vs counterfeits.
I have a friend who is a ham and has done lots of charging and testing of various batteries for radios, cameras, and phones using a computerized battery tester.
His results show that the cheaper, no name batteries often have less than their advertised capacity, and will also lose their ability to hold a full charge sooner than the brand name batteries (i.e. they hold up for fewer charge/discharge cycles). He also sees quite a bit of variation from one battery sample to another. Still, in terms of price/performance, you might find them acceptable.
There are some web sites (including from manufacturers) that show real batteries vs counterfeits.
I have a friend who is a ham and has done lots of charging and testing of various batteries for radios, cameras, and phones using a computerized battery tester.
His results show that the cheaper, no name batteries often have less than their advertised capacity, and will also lose their ability to hold a full charge sooner than the brand name batteries (i.e. they hold up for fewer charge/discharge cycles). He also sees quite a bit of variation from one battery sample to another. Still, in terms of price/performance, you might find them acceptable.
That (your response) doesn't tell me anything... I suppose I could guess.drvnbysound said:
If I knew that the $40 battery was really a quality battery it would make the decision easier. But I have no assurance that it is. I see complaints about Batteries Plus too. And looking on the ATT site I am not sure about those either - a lot were from second sources. So "you get what you pay for" may not apply - paying more doesn't necessarily mean you get more.
I would just get a new phone for cheap but I like this one, have a case for it, etc. If I could find a new model that took the same battery I could get it and just use the battery in the old phone. Funny that you can get a phone with battery for the price of a battery (or less) but I know how markup works on replacement parts.
pete_c
Guru
I would just purchase one. Test it out as best as you can. If it doesn't work as specified then return it.
Ask about the return policy and guarantee before you purchase it.
Lately have purchased my stuff from Amazon and I many times do utilize the comments there. Using Amazon Prime I can return stuff easy enough if it doesn't work for me.
The folks at Battery Plus are helpful and they will sell you whatever you need. I think there though you pay an on demand premium for same or similar you can find elsewhere.
Ask about the return policy and guarantee before you purchase it.
Lately have purchased my stuff from Amazon and I many times do utilize the comments there. Using Amazon Prime I can return stuff easy enough if it doesn't work for me.
The folks at Battery Plus are helpful and they will sell you whatever you need. I think there though you pay an on demand premium for same or similar you can find elsewhere.
damage
Senior Member
i recommend anker brand phone batteries. their products are highly rated on amazon. we've used them in the past for our s3, note 2 & s5. they have an 18 month warranty and i've had one go bad within the warranty period and they just asked for my amazon order # and sent a brand new battery right away. we have 2 that are about 3 years old and 1 is 2 years old and still going strong. they also make great portable power bricks (powercore).
drvnbysound
Senior Member
JimS said:
If ATT was suggesting non-OEM batteries, I'd likely go with one of the ones they were suggesting.
pete_c
Guru
Personally after being slammed by AT&T after more than 25 years of using them and always purchasing my phones sans contract and now having to deal with them for DirectTV I would have no (nada) confidence in AT&T mickey mouse business practices or suggestions.
I have been a DTV subscriber since the 1990's and have recently had to call AT&T for service (never do). I have only kept the sub due to WAF. One service call a couple of months ago to the new DTV owned by AT&T has me looking to get rid of them as soon as possible. (and this really has nothing to do with cellular service rather just what their unscrupulous business model is already doing to DTV). I removed them in the early 2000's from taking care of my copper line service for similar reasons.
Similiarly to using Verizon for my FL ISP connection. Before going to FIOS used Verizon DSL for years with no issues. Service steadily declined while their prices steadily increased over the years. Recently they sold their FL stuff to Frontier and I am hoping that it is better than what I was dealing with relating to Verizon. Funny too as they started an email ding relating to switching my account information. 2 hours on the phone and they finally stated that their databases where not in sync and asked me to wait for 2 weeks. The Frontier CS didn't appear to have a clue. Guessing Verizon dumped their ISP services to Frontier using the least amount of resources possible (cheapo way). This is very similar to how Fiat got Chrysler (literally for free because they were not worth anything anymore). The emails I keep getting state this it's supposed to be a smooth transition. What a joke.
I have been a DTV subscriber since the 1990's and have recently had to call AT&T for service (never do). I have only kept the sub due to WAF. One service call a couple of months ago to the new DTV owned by AT&T has me looking to get rid of them as soon as possible. (and this really has nothing to do with cellular service rather just what their unscrupulous business model is already doing to DTV). I removed them in the early 2000's from taking care of my copper line service for similar reasons.
Similiarly to using Verizon for my FL ISP connection. Before going to FIOS used Verizon DSL for years with no issues. Service steadily declined while their prices steadily increased over the years. Recently they sold their FL stuff to Frontier and I am hoping that it is better than what I was dealing with relating to Verizon. Funny too as they started an email ding relating to switching my account information. 2 hours on the phone and they finally stated that their databases where not in sync and asked me to wait for 2 weeks. The Frontier CS didn't appear to have a clue. Guessing Verizon dumped their ISP services to Frontier using the least amount of resources possible (cheapo way). This is very similar to how Fiat got Chrysler (literally for free because they were not worth anything anymore). The emails I keep getting state this it's supposed to be a smooth transition. What a joke.
