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I recently bought a BA battery advertised as 2400 mAh for around $20 US.
However, it only charges up to 58%. I've tried charging it for 8 hours or more, discharging it a little bit, and recharging it, but the indicator never goes above 58%. I am charging it from inside the BA, with USB power.
The battery says:
Replacement for XDA III/MDAIII
Model: PH26B
Rating: 3.7 VDC == 2400 mAh
Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer Battery
...
Made in China
Researching some more, I notice that the "PH26B" part number is used on both 1500 mAh batteries and 2400 mAh batteries, by different sellers. It can't be both, can it?
The sites which list it as 2400 mAh tend to be less reputable sites from places like eBay, with deals which seem too good to be true.
And yet the battery I bought says both PH26B and 2400 mAh on it, so it is not simply the seller misrepresenting the product (i.e. if it's a scam, it extends to the manufacturer).
My questions are:
1. What exactly is the PH26B designation, if it is not a unique part number?
2. Are there any model-specific compatibility problems between certain batteries such as PH26B, and certain models of Blue Angels, or are all BA batteries interchangable between all BA models?
3. Is there a scam going on where BA batteries are being sold as 2400 mAh, even though they are only 1500 mAh? The 2400 mAh battery I have, is not much thicker than most 1500 mAh batteries, which makes me suspicious. (It is only about .5 mm deeper than the BA case where the "Windows Mobile" logo is printed.)
4. Why does my battery indicator stop at 58% with the 2400 mAh PH26B? (I've tried it in both my SX66 and PPC6601, with the same results.) 58% is approximately 1400 mAh / 2400 mAh, so if the charge indicator is a measure of the true charge as compared to the claimed capacity, then 58% would be what you'd expect from a battery which is only 1500 mAh but claims to be 2400 mAh.
5. I've often heard that you must be careful when first charging BA batteries, or else permanent damage could result. I did everything "by the book" -- backed up my data, changed the battery in my BA to the new one, and left it charging in the BA for hours -- but it still only goes up to 58%.
6. Do I need to do a more severe hard reset, such as leaving the battery out for 30 minutes, and/or completely draining the battery before recharging it, in order to get the charge cycle fixed?
I know I can trust Lion Battery (whose 2400 mAh Mugen batteries cost around $72 US instead of $20 US). I've already done business with them before. I am not in any immediate need for a BA battery. I just recently bought a spare one as a "deal" which was apparently too good to be true, and I'm trying to figure out the origins of it, since it's apparently very widespread -- simply search Google or eBay for 2400 xda, and you'll see hundreds of deals for these 2400 mAh BA batteries for under $20 US. It's so widespread that I don't think it's bad resellers trying to rip people off, but a bad manufacturer misrepresenting their batteries (and spoiling the good ones), or some kind of mass confusion about BA battery types and their true capacities.
Or maybe I'm too cynical, and I simply got one defective battery out of a normally good lot.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=35333
mark1316 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=35333
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Already read that. No help there.
There are 2400 mA batteries out there that do NOT work correctly. We worked with our mfg for 3 mos and six different revisions before we could get a working battery.
Chances are the $20 battery is some of the early batteries that did not have the microcontroller on the battery programmed correctly.
16 hours after charging with an AC-adapter-powered cradle, the battery has gone down from 58% charged to 9% charged. The backup battery is down to 75% charge.
The cradle is being supplied 5 VDC at 2A (USB current is not usually enough to charge batteries -- only to sustain their charge).
The battery is not being charged in the auxiliary slot, but is inside the PDA, which is docked in the cradle.
I have removed the battery for 1 minute, then reinstalled it. The main battery indicator still says 9%. The backup battery has gone up to 100% in less than 5 minutes. I may need to remove the battery for longer than 1 minute to force a hard reset.
The indicator LED is blinking red-orange every three seconds.
I will leave it to charge some more, but I expect it's a DOA battery that should be returned or trashed.
Is it the capacity they write it ??
I think they can also said the battery with 8000mAh... it's very simple
reprit the label and mark it as 8000mAh with the same battery..... 8)
MugenPower said:
Is it the capacity they write it ??
I think they can also said the battery with 8000mAh... it's very simple
reprit the label and mark it as 8000mAh with the same battery..... 8)
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They say 2400 mAh. There does not appear to be any evidence of tampering with the label, which means it's not some amateur glueing or writing "2400 mAh" on top of a 1500 mAh battery, but something more sinister.
Without being sarcastic, could you please tell me whether there really is such a "reprinting" scam going on, and what the true capacity/designation of a PH26B is? What other signs to look for, and how to determine the true capacity (by special charging methods, by physical examination of the battery, etc.)?
I'm guessing it's some Asian scam, where some manufacturer is printing look-alike labels, and overstating the capacity of the batteries, and selling them at a very cheap price to resellers, who then go online and sell it for 50-100% profit, while still looking like a "bargain" to the real 2400 mAh batteries, such as Mugen's. (BTW, do you really work for Mugen?)
How can we tell the fake 2400 mAh's from the real ones?
Mungen Power HLI-XDA2SSL 3.7v 2400mAh Lithium Ion Battery fo
Mungen Power HLI-XDA2SSL 3.7v 2400mAh Lithium Ion Battery for XDA IIs Battery PH26B £19 From M Jefferie, eBay 30 Nov 2005
Tested this battery and satisfied myself that it operates for days passed the 1500mAh replaced
I know about Mugen batteries and their reliability. I have some. I'm talking about cheap knockoffs which claim to have 2400 mAh capacity but which don't. It's a widespread scam going on right now.
It may not necessarily be a scam, just very, *very* shoddy goods. As you said probably asian and very cheaply made. I suppose you get what you pay for...
Here's a pic of the bad 2400 mAh battery. It uses the same part number which I've seen on many 1500 mAh batteries.
PH26B is likely just to be the shape and connections... so you know any PH26B will fit a BA (or any other device which might take a PH26B)
leek said:
MugenPower said:
Is it the capacity they write it ??
I think they can also said the battery with 8000mAh... it's very simple
reprit the label and mark it as 8000mAh with the same battery..... 8)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They say 2400 mAh. There does not appear to be any evidence of tampering with the label, which means it's not some amateur glueing or writing "2400 mAh" on top of a 1500 mAh battery, but something more sinister.
Without being sarcastic, could you please tell me whether there really is such a "reprinting" scam going on, and what the true capacity/designation of a PH26B is? What other signs to look for, and how to determine the true capacity (by special charging methods, by physical examination of the battery, etc.)?
I'm guessing it's some Asian scam, where some manufacturer is printing look-alike labels, and overstating the capacity of the batteries, and selling them at a very cheap price to resellers, who then go online and sell it for 50-100% profit, while still looking like a "bargain" to the real 2400 mAh batteries, such as Mugen's. (BTW, do you really work for Mugen?)
How can we tell the fake 2400 mAh's from the real ones?
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leek,
yes..I am from Mugen Power. You can check it out from my post.
Actually....smart guy should know that.....how can they make profits if they use good quality of material to make the battery pack and sell it at this kind of cheap price....
if they write the capacity is less than 2400mAh, do u think u will buy their battery .... I don't think u will spend money on a battery with capacity lee than the original..
reply
Hi, I have it now for 6 month now and its workingOK for me.
regards,
Silver
Updated and simplified version here : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=3846897#post3846897
I've been around this forum for some time now and I have noticed one thing that is spelled in all sub-forums: BATTERY LIFE
So I thought of pulling some info together that is relevant to our Raphs (Li-ion batteries), taken from www.batteryuniversity.com.
Hope you find it helpful and understand better behaviour of your battery
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About the Author
Isidor Buchmann is the founder and CEO of Cadex Electronics Inc., in Vancouver BC.
Mr. Buchmann has a background in radio communications and has studied the behavior of rechargeable batteries in practical, everyday applications for two decades. Award winning author of many articles and books on batteries, Mr. Buchmann has delivered technical papers around the world.
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"If possible, do not discharge lithium-based batteries too deeply. Instead, recharge more often."
Lithium-ion is a low maintenance battery, an advantage that most other chemistries cannot claim. There is no memory and no scheduled cycling is required to prolong the battery's life. In addition, the self-discharge is less than half compared to nickel-cadmium, making lithium-ion well suited for modern fuel gauge applications.
Charging
There is only one way to charge lithium-based batteries. The so-called 'miracle chargers', which claim to restore and prolong batteries, do not exist for lithium chemistries. Neither does super-fast charging apply. Manufacturers of lithium-ion cells have very strict guidelines in charge procedures and the pack should be charged as per the manufacturers "typical" charge technique.
Lithium-ion is a very clean system and does not need priming as nickel-based batteries do. The 1st charge is no different to the 5th or the 50th charge. Stickers instructing to charge the battery for 8 hours or more for the first time may be a leftover from the nickel battery days.
Most cells are charged to 4.20 volts with a tolerance of +/?0.05V/cell. Charging only to 4.10V reduced the capacity by 10% but provides a longer service life. Newer cell are capable of delivering a good cycle count with a charge to 4.20 volts per cell.
A lithium-ion battery provides 300-500 discharge/charge cycles. The battery prefers a partial rather than a full discharge. Frequent full discharges should be avoided when possible. Instead, charge the battery more often or use a larger battery. There is no concern of memory when applying unscheduled charges.
Batteries live longer if treated in a gentle manner. High charge voltages, excessive charge rate and extreme load conditions have a negative effect on battery life. The longevity is often a direct result of the environmental stresses applied. The following guidelines suggest ways to prolong battery life.
The time at which the battery stays at 4.20/cell should be as short as possible. Prolonged high voltage promotes corrosion, especially at elevated temperatures. Spinel is less sensitive to high voltage.
The lower charge current reduces the time in which the cell resides at 4.20V. A 0.5C charge only adds marginally to the charge time over 1C because the topping charge will be shorter. A high current charge tends to push the voltage into voltage limit prematurely.
Do not discharge lithium-ion too deeply. Instead, charge it frequently. Lithium-ion does not have memory problems like nickel-cadmium batteries. No deep discharges are needed for conditioning.
Do not charge lithium-ion at or below freezing temperature. Although accepting charge, an irreversible plating of metallic lithium will occur that compromises the safety of the pack.
Not only does a lithium-ion battery live longer with a slower charge rate; moderate discharge rates also helps.
Discharge of the lithium-ion battery is 5% in the first 24 hours after charge, and then reduces to 1% to 2% per month thereafter. The safety circuit adds about 3%. High cycle count and aging have little effect on the self-discharge of lithium-based batteries.
The battery industry is making incremental capacity gains of 8-10% per year. This trend is expected to continue. This, however, is a far cry from Moore's Law that specifies a doubling of transistors on a chip every 18 to 24 months. Translating this increase to a battery would mean a doubling of capacity every two years. Instead of two years, lithium-ion has doubled its energy capacity in 10 years.
Although lithium-ion is memory-free in terms of performance deterioration, batteries with fuel gauges exhibit what engineers refer to as "digital memory". Here is the reason: Short discharges with subsequent recharges do not provide the periodic calibration needed to synchronize the fuel gauge with the battery's state-of-charge. A deliberate full discharge and recharge every 30 charges corrects this problem. Letting the battery run down to the cut-off point in the equipment will do this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate.
Despite its overall advantages, lithium-ion has its drawbacks. It is fragile and requires a protection circuit to maintain safe operation. Built into each pack, the protection circuit limits the peak voltage of each cell during charge and prevents the cell voltage from dropping too low on discharge. In addition, the cell temperature is monitored to prevent temperature extremes. The maximum charge and discharge current on most packs are is limited to between 1C and 2C. With these precautions in place, the possibility of metallic lithium plating occurring due to overcharge is virtually eliminated.
The worst condition is keeping a fully charged battery at elevated temperatures, which is the case with running laptop batteries. If used on main power, the battery inside a laptop will only last for 12-18 months. I must hasten to explain that the pack does not die suddenly but begins with reduced run-times.
The voltage level to which the cells are charged also plays an important role to longevity. For safety reasons, most lithium-ion cannot exceed 4.20 volts per cell. While a higher voltage boosts capacity, the disadvantage is lower cycle life.
"how deep can a battery be discharged and still achieve maximum service life?" There are no definite answers. Batteries are like us humans. Suppose we ate all the vegetables our mother heaped on our plates and do our daily exercise, would we life longer? Perhaps. But by how much, no one will know. Batteries lose capacity as part of aging, cycling and exposure to heat. Nickel-cadmium also loses capacity due to lack of exercise because of memory.
Some lithium-ion batteries fail due to excessive low discharge. If discharged below 2.5 volts per cell, the internal safety circuit opens and the battery appears dead.
Aging is a concern with most lithium-ion batteries and many manufacturers remain silent about this issue. Some capacity deterioration is noticeable after one year, whether the battery is in use or not.
Lithium-ion batteries lose capacity through cell oxidation, a process that occurs naturally during use and aging. The typical life span of lithium-ion is 2-3 years under normal use. Cool storage a 40% charge minimizes aging. An aged lithium-ion cannot be restored with cycling.
Shorted Cells
Manufacturers are often unable to explain why some cells develop high electrical leakage or an electrical short while still relatively new. The suspected culprit is foreign particles that contaminate the cells during manufacturing.
Cell reversal caused by deep discharging also contributes to shorted cells.Specified to deliver 100% capacity when new, the battery should be replaced when the capacity drops to below 80% of the nominal rating.
The self-discharge on all battery chemistries increase at higher temperatures. Typically, the rate doubles with every 10°C (18°F). A noticeable energy loss occurs if a battery is left in a hot vehicle.
Premature voltage cut-off
Not all stored battery power can be fully utilized. Some equipment cuts off before the designated end-of-discharge voltage is reached and precious battery energy remains unused. Applications demanding high current bursts push the battery voltage to an early cut-off. This is especially visible on batteries with elevated internal resistance. The voltage recovers when the load is removed and the battery appears normal. Discharging such a battery on a moderate load with a battery analyzer to the respective end-of-discharge threshold will sometimes produce residual capacity readings of 30% and higher.
Counterfeit cell phone batteries (clone batteries)
In the search for low-cost battery replacements, consumers may inadvertently purchase clone cell phone batteries that do not include an approved protection circuit. Lithium-ion packs require a protection circuit to shut off the power source if the charger malfunctions and keep on charging, or if the pack is put under undue stress (electrical short). Overheating and 'venting with flame' can be the result of such strain.
Cell phone manufacturers strongly advise customers to replace the battery with an approved brand. Failing to do so may void the warranty. Counterfeit cell phone batteries have become visible since the beginning of 2003 when the world was being flooded with cheap replacement batteries from Asia.
Cell phone manufacturers act out of genuine concern for safety rather than using scare tactics to persuade customers to buy their own accessories. They do not object to third party suppliers in offering batteries and chargers as long as the products are well built, safe and functioning. The buyer can often not distinguish between an original and a counterfeit battery because the label may appear bona fide.
Caution should also be exercised in purchasing counterfeit chargers. Some units do not terminate the battery correctly and rely on the battery's internal protection circuit to cut off the power when fully charged. Precise full-charge termination and a working protection circuit are needed for the safe use of the lithium-ion battery.
A large number of lithium-ion batteries for cell phones are being discarded under the warranty return policy. Some failed batteries are sent to service centers or the manufacturer, where they are refurbished. Studies show that 80%-90% of the returned batteries can be repaired and returned to service.
© Copyright 2003 - 2005 Isidor Buchmann
Thanks, very good read.
It explains why when flashing a new ROM I felt that I needed to discharge and recharge fully the battery to have an accurate reading.
lots of dispelled rumors and myths ! thanks for the post , its really informative .
i really do hope that capacity goes up though , it would be cool to not have to charge for like 4 days or something crazy lol.
excellent read!
now if I may ask, how dense cells can be packed into a battery? this relates to the min size versus max capacity of a Li-on battery pack.
There's also an issue with the device not reading the battery accurately.
I've read somewhere that full discharge once every 3 months or so is helpful not because of the chemistry, but because how the device reads/calculates full capacity.
g2tl said:
There's also an issue with the device not reading the battery accurately.
I've read somewhere that full discharge once every 3 months or so is helpful not because of the chemistry, but because how the device reads/calculates full capacity.
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I would think that would only apply to the clone batteries.
Originally Posted by g2tl
There's also an issue with the device not reading the battery accurately.
I've read somewhere that full discharge once every 3 months or so is helpful not because of the chemistry, but because how the device reads/calculates full capacity.
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Kraize said:
I would think that would only apply to the clone batteries.
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sorry. disagree. at least from my experience, both original and 'clone' alike need full discharge every now and then.
side note: with overwhelming numbers of batteries or any other components being made in China, who would safely label one is 'original' and the other is 'clone'? God knows.
BumAround said:
sorry. disagree. at least from my experience, both original and 'clone' alike need full discharge every now and then.
side note: with overwhelming numbers of batteries or any other components being made in China, who would safely label one is 'original' and the other is 'clone'? God knows.
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10/4...if I just may quote what is written in post 1: "..A deliberate full discharge and recharge every 30 charges corrects this problem ("memory" effect). Letting the battery run down to the cut-off point in the equipment will do this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate..."
BumAround said:
excellent read!
now if I may ask, how dense cells can be packed into a battery? this relates to the min size versus max capacity of a Li-on battery pack.
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From what I understand density is controled by proper voltage (3,7 in our case). With different type of batteries you can do "shock" therapy and temporarly overload the current of charging to reformat cells. So I guess it depends on chemical mix in your particular battery, because as we've learned those chemicals are being replaced with different ones and very often by manufaturers and to us consumers it might seem we use same batteries, but technically speaking exact same batteries bought in different places may perform differently just because of what's inside. Not speaking of aging effect which is the worst out of all batteries (process starts right after battery is manufactured and no matter if is used or not, therefore li-ion batteries are kind of like vegetables-not good if too old )
bauerpavel said:
10/4...if I just may quote what is written in post 1: "..A deliberate full discharge and recharge every 30 charges corrects this problem ("memory" effect). Letting the battery run down to the cut-off point in the equipment will do this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate..."
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hmm, I must have skipped over that part while scrolling down.
Thx for the confirmation.
Easy way to discharge battery quickly, Flash your phone 4 or 5 times in a row, always seems to nuke my phone when testing ROMs while cooking!!
Great post
This should be made one of the stickies, not in the ROM thread though, maybe in the accessory thread?
gmgonzal said:
This should be made one of the stickies, not in the ROM thread though, maybe in the accessory thread?
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I'm planning on moving it to just "Raphael" section....as for the stickie, that's not my call
PS:Thread moved to more "appropriate" section "Raphael" rather than "ROM Development"
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=518861 ....sorry for confusion!
Admin please close this thread.
Not too fast...
B4PJS said:
Easy way to discharge battery quickly...
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The article mentioned it was wise to avoid stressful discharges as well as fast charging.
Not only does a lithium-ion battery live longer with a slower charge rate; moderate discharge rates also helps
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It makes the case for those .5 car chargers and charging from the USB port…David.
Hey guys, Ive recently started caring about battery life more then anything else for my phone as i dont play games.
Ive been researching for hours on end finding a ROM I like and a battery friendly Kernel, so far so good, 25% gone and ive hit 1.5hours of screen on time, which is pretty good, you would expect it to be 6 hours of screen on time in total then but its not..
Ive had the phone for 16 months now, and it seems whenever it gets below 70% the battery just eats away at itself, resulting in 2.5 hours of screen on time, so that whole extra 75% is only giving me an extra hour
Would you say the battery is getting old? and should I get a official Samsung one or a bigger unit
Thanks
- Jack
On stock kernel and TW based rom with greenify I get 6hrs screen time and around a day/day & a half use from a new standard capacity battery.
If you're using the phone 'normally' then % decrease should be fairly linear, steep drops indicate the electrodes are damaged and cell capacity reduced. Get a new genuine one or reputable OEM, larger capacity means a new back plate (doesn't matter what the advert says it's physically impossible to get more mAh into the same size as a standard battery).
You get around 50 charge cycles from a new battery before capacity is measurably reduced, I've never kept a battery much past 8 or 10 months.
boomboomer said:
On stock kernel and TW based rom with greenify I get 6hrs screen time and around a day/day & a half use from a new standard capacity battery.
If you're using the phone 'normally' then % decrease should be fairly linear, steep drops indicate the electrodes are damaged and cell capacity reduced. Get a new genuine one or reputable OEM, larger capacity means a new back plate (doesn't matter what the advert says it's physically impossible to get more mAh into the same size as a standard battery).
You get around 50 charge cycles from a new battery before capacity is measurably reduced, I've never kept a battery much past 8 or 10 months.
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Alright, ill have to get a new battery then * sigh *
So I see that they make a G3 slim battery that does 3900 MAH.
This one is a 3850
and this one is the 3900
I've been wanting an extended battery but dont want to mess with the form factor and have and ungly back, anyone know if this is a good battery?
I never trust slim bigger MAH
2SHAYNEZ
It is just a lie.
Until new technologies arrive (and we will hear about it, trust me), the capacity of a battery is directly proportional to its size. If the battery has a similar size, then it will last for the same time, regardless of the label or how you measure capacity...
I've tested for years a ZeroLemon slim battery for my Galaxy S4 that was supposed to be higher capacity (going back and forth between this one and the official battery), and they were exactly the same.
And I wouldn't trust any brand you can find on eBay or Amazon marketplace, unless you want to risk some explosion in your pants
There are a couple of ways to get additional capacity out of a battery the same physical size, all of them bad. You can make the insulating layer between cells thinner, allowing for more of the battery to contain chemistry to generate power. At the risk of leakage and fire.
The other way is to play with the circuitry in the battery that reports charge levels to the phone. All name-brand Li batteries leave some margin for error, so that when it reports 100% it's not really quite fully charged, and it reports 0% before it's totally drained. It's possible to build a battery without that safety margin, so it will last a bit longer on a charge. But overcharging Li batteries is very bad for battery life, and draining them completely is also bad. So a battery that uses this technique will wear out a lot sooner. If you've ever seen a battery swell, so the sides aren't flat, that's probably a sign of overcharging.
But I think most of these aftermarket batteries don't use either technique, and the capacity claims are just flat out lies.
I seem to get reduced maximum capacity even after fresh battery replacements.
Most recently I purchased a new replacement battery from iFixit. With this new battery, just like the previous one I bought a year ago from Amazon, my phone charges the battery to a what seems to be around 80% of its capacity. The maximum voltage when reported charge reaches 100%, as reported by the phone, is 4.225V (according to multiple apps). Capacity as measured by AccuBattery is around 80% or 2800 mAh.
I've tried many things, such as the battery calibration multiple times (both method 1 with USSC codes, and something like method 3 which iFixit recommends), without any major apparent improvement.
Things I am wondering:
Should the battery voltage when at 100% charge be closer to its rated 4.4V than the maximum 4.225V my phone is seemingly able to reach?
Can I expect to see improvements if I keep going through a few cycles of battery calibration and full charge/discharge?
Is there any other way to reset the phone's perception of battery capacity or wear than the battery calibration options?
I found another thread with a similar description to my own experience here.
In 3 years I have replaced battery 4 times, now something odd is happening.
I'll make a note to dig out my old USB tester and check how much total juice is pushed into the phone with a charge from <5% to 100%.
More details of my battery history for more background and for anyone interested:
I used the original battery from purchase in late 2018. My charge pattern for the first 2 years was typically charging to 100% every night, and topping up during the day as necessary.
During winter 2020 it performed terrible in the cold (not any extreme cold, only around 0 C), and once drained from around 80% to 35% in less than an hour of continuous use (photos, filming) and then died. After this I changed my charging pattern to where I was keeping the phone from exceeding the 70-40% range as much as possible.
In December 2021 I purchased a replacement battery from Amazon (supposedly original). The original battery was reportedly at 80% capacity says AccuBattery. How reliable that measurement is I don't know (it is all data reported by the phone itself as far as I understand), but the capacity had gradually decreased over the three years of use. I can't recall the voltage readings though, and I don't seem to have any screenshots saved from that view.
The new battery didn't ever seem to be able to exceed the capacity of the 3-year-old original battery (which had gone through over 1,100 charge/discharge cycles as tracked by AccuBattery) that it replaced. It's more stable (especially in cold conditions) but has not brought any increase in usage time compared with the battery it replaced.
With the now 10-months-old Amazon battery, having gone through less than 400 charge/discharge cycles according to AccuBattery (which is relative to the max capacity of approximately 2800 mAh or 80%), my phone in the past month gave me the pop-up notice indicating a poor battery. The capacity reported hasn't changed much over these 10 months of use.
Update with USB tester and comparison with a Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo.
TL;DR: 2800 mWh is the new 3500 mWh
First, S5 Neo.
I have an old S5 Neo, last of its era of Samsung phones with easily replaceable battery. I purchased a new battery for this phone from iFixit in the same order as the S9+ replacement battery.
S5 Neo's battery is rated at 4.4 V (3.85 V nominal) with a 2800 mAh capacity, or 10780 mWh. Depleting the battery and making sure the phone would no longer switch on with the power button, I charged it from 0% to 100%.
After slowly charging for 3 hours at just below 4.8 V and 750 mA for most of the time, the USB tester showed 10780 mWh, and the phone showed 92% charge. At the 3h 30min mark, shortly after reaching 100% (I didn't catch it perfectly), USB tester showed current had dropped to 350 mA and total charge delivered was just over 12000 mWh. After another 10-15 minutes the charge current dropped to zero and total power delivered showed 12326 mWh.
The S5 Neo phone, using the app GSam Battery Monitor while the phone is otherwise idle, it shows an internal battery voltage reading of 4.38 V when fully charged, still plugged in and trickle charging. Once it's saturated (charging icon disappears) the voltage drops to 4.33 V.
Going by the USB tester results and progress shown by the phone, and with the assumption that the battery is able to be charged to its full rated capacity with this old phone, the battery charged to capacity with an efficiency between 87.5% and 92%.
I also captured a few mid-way readings. Here is the complete list of my captured readings including comparison to rated capacity assuming perfect efficiency (with extrapolated total charge for levels below 100%):
100% (charging current at 0.0 A)12326 mWh~114% of rated capacity100% (still charging)12062 mWh~112% of rated capacity92%10780 mWh11717, ~109% of rated capacity81%9291 mWh11470, ~106% of rated capacity62%6440 mWh10387, ~96% of rated capacity33%3160 mWh9575, ~89% of rated capacity19%1868 mWh9831, ~91% of rated capacity
The extrapolated charge to reach max rated capacity is increasing as charge level goes up, which I think is kind of expected. Conversely, the efficiency is a little lower than I would have expected. Still, the total power required to reach 100% exceeds the rated capacity by a fair margin. Better still, the phone itself reports a battery voltage near the battery's rated 4.4 V.
Second, S9+.
As mentioned in the original post, the internal battery voltage max reading is 4.22 V, and the capacity seems to not reach the expected level. Checking the Battery status option of Diagnostics in the Samsung Members app to check the battery, it shows it is in "weak" condition. Resetting all the battery related readings using USSC codes (see battery calibration) doesn't seem to change anything.
The battery is rated at 4.4 V (3.85 V nominal) with a 3500 mA capacity, or 13475 mWh. With fast charging disabled, and after draining the phone until it powered off and would no longer power back on, I started charging via the USB tester. I'm using a Samsung travel charger this time, which delivers a little more current than when I charged the S5 Neo.
Charging starts out at just below 5 V and 1.5 A. Current quickly drops to 1.172 A, and somewhere between 33% and 50% it drops to 1.072 A. This current is stable until beyond 81% and then starts to gradually decrease throughput the rest of the charging cycle. (Actual charging current is slightly lower with screen off vs screen showing current charge level.) This I believe is indicative of the battery capacity (or perhaps rather the phone's perception or expectation of the battery capacity) is below its typical levels. It could also be a difference in how the S9+ charges compared with the S5 Neo, or perhaps less likely a difference between the chargers used, I can't really know for sure with only my two samples. In comparison, the S5 Neo kept charging at essentially the same current level between 0% and 92%.
Again, here are a few mid-way readings, as well as the extrapolated capacity assuming perfect efficiency:
N/A13475 mWhnever reached100% (charge current at 0.0 A)12341 mWh~92% of rated capacity100% (first reached)11982 mWh~89% of rated capacity92%11398 mWh12389, ~92% of rated capacity81%10053 mWh12411, ~92% of rated capacity62%7646 mWh12332, ~92% of rated capacity50%6174 mWh12348, ~92% of rated capacity33%4100 mWh12424, ~92% of rated capacity
Oddly consistent, this ratio between charged power and percentage charge, at around 92% of rated capacity throughout almost all of the charge cycle.
The total power required to reach 100% is very disappointing. Even assuming perfect efficiency, it is well below the battery's rated capacity. Assuming similar efficiency as the S5 Neo at around 90% translates to roughly 80% capacity at full charge. This mimics closely the estimates from AccuBattery, which shows 78% capacity after 12 "full" cycles.
To reach a "saturated" 100% requires equally much power for the S5 Neo as for the S9+, even though the S9+ should have a battery with 25% more capacity.
Now that I have externally validated that my 4-year-old S9+ is only ever able to charge my fresh newly replaced battery to 80% of its rated capacity, I suppose the optimistic view is that it's now a forced charge limit for substantially increased battery longevity. While this is functionality I do want, it is something I'd prefer to have the option to use, and with the ability to top up to 100% when necessary.
If I have the opportunity, I may drop by a Samsung service center and ask if there's anything I can do to reset the battery status, or retrain the phone's perception of battery capacity.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk, and have a great day.