# Cell phone Battery Types - The four most common types of batteries for cellular phones are:Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly)
# Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)
# Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)
# Nickel Cadmium (NiCad)
Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly) is the newest and most advanced technology for cellular phone batteries. Li-Poly is ultra-lightweight & does not explode, even when a nail is driven through it! Since the chemistry is enclosed in plastic pouches instead of a metal can, significant weight & form possibilities exist! Manufacturers will soon be molding this type of battery to fit the dead air spaces in some cell phone designs. Lithium Polymer shows all the same advantages of Lithium Ion without the weight or rigid form factors! Li-Poly does not suffer from memory effect, and will deliver up to 40% more battery capacity than the same size of NiMH battery.
Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) is an advanced technology for cellular phone batteries. Li-Ion does not suffer from memory effect and will deliver up to 40% more battery capacity than the same size of NiMH battery. Li-Ion batteries are slightly lighter than NiMH batteries and also have a longer battery cycle lifetime when compared to NiMH batteries. Unfortunately, Li-Ion batteries are more expensive and not available for older cell phone models. CellularAccessory.com carries a complete line of Lithium Ion batteries.
Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries are relatively newer technology and also do not suffer from memory effect. Compared to a NiCad battery of equal size, a NiMH battery will run for 30-40% longer on each charge. Also important from a driver’s perspective, NiMH batteries can be 50% recharged in just 15 minutes, and up to 90% in 1 hour using a car charger. The unique NiMH chemistry enables the packing of twice as much energy into a given mass than is possible with NiCads. This can also result in NiMH batteries having up to twice the life span of NiCads. NiMH batteries rank as the "best value" of all cellular phone battery types. Their trouble free service, longer running times and reasonable price has made Nickel Metal Hydride the most popular battery type for cellphones. Additionally, NiMH batteries are made from non-toxic materials and are environmentally friendly. CellularAccessory.com carries a complete and extensive line of Nickel Metal Hydride batteries.
Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries are of older technology and suffer from "memory effect". They must be completely discharged before recharging or damage can occur. This discharge procedure can add extra time to the overall charging process. The memory effect that is inherent in all NiCad batteries reduces the battery's overall capacity, run time, and life span. NiCad batteries are slowly being phased out and replaced by NiMH as the battery of choice by cellphone manufacturers and mobile professionals. Also, the "nickel cadmium" used in NiCad batteries is highly toxic to the environment. Please dispose of NiCad batteries properly.
Standby and Talk Times. Standby and Talk times refer to the timeframe before a cell phone battery should need to be recharged under ideal conditions. Since all manufacturers of Cellular telephones are listing times under ideal situations, these ratings are not an accurate measure of battery performance. You should instead compare ratings measured in milli amp hours (Mah) by all manufacturers, giving you a reliable way to compare battery capacity regardless of chemistry or cell phone model.
# Note: Mah – stands for "milli Amp hours" and is the measurement of a battery’s storage capacity. The larger the number of Mah, the longer it will perform prior to needing a recharge.
CellularAccessory.com is pleased to offer our customers superior cell phone batteries. In that regard, we no longer sell NiCad batteries or support NiCad technology. Instead, we offer NiMH replacement batteries for existing NiCad models. Far too many problems and customer complaints are the result of NiCad batteries and their inherent memory effect. In most cases their charge holding capacity becomes greatly diminished, or they burn out and die long before their normal life expectancy. At CellularAccessory.com, we offer Lithium Polymer, Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium Ion as being the preferred cellphone battery technologies of mobile professionals worldwide.
How to Maximize the life of your battery.There are several things you can do to maximize the useful life of your battery. Batteries typically have 300 to 400 charge cycles in their life span.
# Dirty battery contacts are the number one source of charging problems. Clean the battery contacts with either an eraser or use alcohol and a cotton swab from time to time. Make sure no eraser or cotton is left on the contact points.
# Don’t leave your rechargeable batteries dormant for extended periods. Cycle them for a full charge & full discharge every so often, preferably monthly. Whether you use AC or DC power to charge your battery most of the time, try to drain the battery periodically to keep it fresh and healthy.
# Unplug your battery charger if you are not using your cell-phone. 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.
# Always allow a battery to warm to room temperature PRIOR to charging. The temperature shock can kill a battery chemically as well as potentially causing a short circuit.
Temperature effects -- All batteries should be charged up between 59 degrees & 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Permanent damage to the cells can occur if the battery is not warmed up before attaching any battery charger. Your cell phone's battery also works best in a comfortable temperature! Try to keep it between 59 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold batteries may temporarily fail to deliver any energy to your cell phone, despite being fully charged.
Initial Charge Cycle -- Turn the cell-phone OFF. New batteries must be rapid charged (typically to 80%), then trickle charged (slow charged to 100%) for 24 hours, prior to their first use and for the first 2-3 cycles. As all of our batteries are new, they are uncharged when you receive them. 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 commonly will show false full charge (voltage), or "Not charging" as indicated on your cell phone or charger. LEAVE it on the charger for 24 hours! Also the battery may not immediately power up the phone because of low voltage.
# For the First Three Cycles, please make sure to charge the battery fully (24 hours) WITH THE CELL-PHONE TURNED OFF, and drain it fully (by using it until it will not power up) before recharging.
# This will properly condition the battery and will ensure that it will operate at its maximum capacity.
# This is recommended for all cell-phone batteries.
# You can discharge most portable cell-phones by unplugging the battery charger and leaving it turned on until completely discharged.
# For NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries: A slow charger works best on Nickel Cadmium batteries.
# For all other batteries (Nimh, Li-Ion, Li-Polymer): A rapid charger works best, even though it should charge for 24 hours initially to allow a full 100% battery charge.
# For vibrating batteries: Note that the battery does not vibrate when the phone is connected to or placed in any charging device.
# Voltage Testing: In batteries listed at a nominal 3.6 volts, batteries that measure below 2.4 volts would be evidence of a bad cell, and are defective. Any more voltage than 2.4, but less than 3.0 'may accept a charge' to become functional, the problem here being, what charger is going to be applied? Many OEM built-in charging circuits will not even recognize a battery if it measures below 3.0 volts. The solution I use is to 'shock the battery' to get the chemistry to respond...So I use a 12 volt DC power supply with two leads, holding the negative power lead to the negative battery terminal, making sure to "tap" the positive lead on positive terminal of the battery for about a half second. This momentary shock will sometimes molecularly activate the chemistry to perform nominally once again.
# Note: A freshly charged battery will show a surface charge of 4.0 volts or more, on a nominal 3.6 volt rated battery. In fact, the voltage can frequently be tested after 30 minutes, only to discover the voltage has dropped to the nominal rating of 3.6 volts. Voltage decreases over time, temperature, and shock conditions, so that if it exhibits below 3.0 volts, it needs to be suspect for any of those three conditions, which can potentially make a battery unusable. "Battery conditioners" will try to recondition batteries in a controlled charging and discharge cycle, or 'Delta charging', that can sometimes restore the chemical capacity of a battery. It cannot extend a used battery beyond the number of charge cycles in the batteries normal chemical lifespan however.
# Remember to "Take care of your Battery and your Battery will take care of you."
Proper Battery Disposal. For proper disposal of your old battery, you should return NiCad batteries to Please dispose of NiCad batteries properly. You can also contact the local Department of Household Hazardous Waste in your state. Your local Town Hall or landfill is also a good place to inquire.
