Cell Phone Batteries, PDA and Laptop Batteries Guide

Cell Phone Batteries Guide

Cell Phone Batteries - The four most common types of batteries for cellular phones and mobile handhelds are:

Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly)

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Nickel Cadmium (NiCd)

Lithium Ion Batteries (LiION) are the most popular cell phone batteries available.
Li-ION have replaced NiMH batteries for many phones because they provide 4 distinct advantages:

Li-ION batteries provide 40% longer Standby and Talk Times than NiMH batteries.
Li-ION batteries are lighter and more compact than NiMH batteries.
Li-ION batteries does not suffer from memory effect .
Li-ION batteries will last over 30% longer than NiMH batteries because the cells accept more charge cycles.
Li-ION batteries rank as the "best value" of all cellular phone battery types.

Take advantage of the reliability, long battery life, and compact size of Li-On cell phone batteries at the Lowest Prices Guaranteed!

Lithium Polymer Battery(Li-Poly) is the newest and most advanced technology for cellular phone batteries. This brand new chemistry of battery allows for the most compact cells available. Li-Poly batteries are extremely light and thin and allow the most battery life for the size. Lithium Polymer cellular batteries share all of the benefits of Li-ION batteries but will last over twice as long.

Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries (NiMH) were introduced in the early 1990's as an improvement over older chemistries like Nickel Cadmium (NiCd). Although they may have a very slight memory effect, NiMH batteries are much more reliable than previous chemistries. Compared to a NiCd battery of equal size, a NiMH battery will run for 30-40% longer on each charge. NiMH batteries can be recharged 60% in just 15 minutes using a car charger, an obvious asset for motorists. The unique NiMH chemistry packs much more power than NiCd. Additionally, NiMH batteries often have twice the lifespan of NiCds.

Nickel Cadmium Batteries (NiCd) are manufactured using older technology and suffer from memory effect. They must be completely discharged before recharging to avoid incurring damage to the battery. This discharge procedure can add extra time to the overall charging process. The memory effect inherent in all NiCd batteries reduces the battery's overall capacity, run time, and life span. NiCd batteries are being slowly phased out and replaced by NiMH and LiION. Also, the "nickel cadmium" used in NiCd batteries is highly toxic to the environment. Thus, it is difficult to responsibly dispose of NiCd batteries.

Memory Effect - The term "memory" in reference to batteries means the battery "remembers" its usual discharge point and superficially "needs" a charge whenever it hits that point. In other words, if you have a NiCad that always gets discharged to only 50% of its capacity, it will eventually not run below that 50% mark if you ever wanted to discharge it to a lower point.

NiCd batteries and their inherent memory effect generate many problems and customer complaints. In most cases their charge-holding capacity greatly declines or they burn out and die well in advance of their normal life expectancy. For these reasons, merchants no longer sell NiCd batteries or support NiCd technology. Instead, they offer NiMH and LiION replacement batteries for existing NiCd models. Most exclusively promote Nickel Metal Hydride, Lithium Ion and now Lithium Polymer as the preferred cellphone battery technologies for mobile professionals.

* All products mentioned above are after-market/non-OEM unless otherwise specificed.

Battery Recycling
For proper disposal of your old battery, you should return it to the original place of purchase or to a collection center. You can also contact the local Department of Household Hazardous in your state. Your local Town Hall is also a good place to inquire.
Click Here to Donate or recycle Cell Phones and Cell Phone batteries.

Standby and Talk Times:
Please refer to our Standby and Talk Time information page.

How to maximize the life of your cell phone battery -- There are several things you can do to maximize the useful life of your battery: Dirty battery contacts are the number one source of charging problems. Clean the battery contacts with alcohol and a cotton swab from time to time. Make sure no cotton is left on the contact points. Don’t leave your rechargeable batteries dormant for extended periods. Take them for a "spin around the block" every so often. Even if you use AC power most of the time; use the battery periodically to keep it fresh and healthy. Unplug your AC adapter if you are not using your cellphone. Batteries that sit idle for extended periods of time without charging begin to lose their ability to hold a charge and will self-discharge, so remember to charge them again before use. Always store batteries in a cool, dry place away from heat and metal objects.

Intitial Charge Cycle -- New cell phone batteries must be trickle charged (slow charged) prior to their first use and for the first several uses. As all of our batteries are new, they are uncharged. All batteries require a "break-in" period, so don't be alarmed if your battery doesn't hold a full charge right away. A new battery may show false full charge as indicated on your phone or charger. Also the battery may not power up the phone because of low voltage. For the First Three Cycles, please make sure to charge the battery fully and drain it fully before recharging. This will properly condition the battery and will ensure that it will operate at its maximum capacity. This is recommended for all cellular phone batteries. You can discharge most portable phones by unplugging the AC adapter and leaving it turned on until completely discharged. Remember - "Take care of your Cell Phone Battery and your Phone Battery will take care of you."

Note: mAh – stands for "milli Amp hours" and is the measurement of a battery’s storage capacity.