Can I increase the battery capacity of a 1st gen iPod mini?

December 16, 2005 12:27 PM

Can I increase the battery capacity of a 1st gen iPod mini?

My google-fu is failing me because there are just so many sites that are selling iPod replacement batteries, many of which contain conflicting information. Or I'm just getting old. I have a 1st gen mini and from what I've gathered it has a 600mAh battery (this may not be correct). What I'm seeing are ads and claims like "50% more power" yet they're selling the very same 600mah battery in the stock unit. Some are even selling 500mAh batteries. Does anyone sell a siginifcanty more powerful battery for the mini like, say, 800mAh? Is there more to battery capacity than mAh?

posted by skallas to technology (3 comments total)

A good source of info — and a place to vent — is the Apple discussion forum for the mini. One of the (many) forums on batteries led to this in-depth discussion of battery issues. Another forum led to this battery retailer (installation video at bottom of page). Can't vouch for them, but for $24.95 and a one-year warranty, might be worth a shot.
posted by rob511 at 1:08 PM on December 16, 2005

3 good sites to rely on for purchasing the batteries.
LaptopsForLess.com
PdaSmart.com
TechRestore.com
posted by ilikebike at 1:26 AM on December 17, 2005

I looked into this about six months ago. I, too, was frustrated by the wildly conflicting information available.

My bet, based on the nonauthoritative stuff I've read, is that the first-gen iPod mini had a 400mah battery. That'd make 500mah an upgrade and 600 a decent jump. However, I haven't found a definitive source for this.

Lenmar--which sells aftermarket batteries for a variety of devices--has a 720mah battery for the mini (it's $32 at Amazon right now). If the stock battery really is 400mah, the 720 should be good for ~14 hours of playback on paper. I've found very few firsthand reports on it, though. The only reviewer at Amazon claimed it was too big to fit in his mini. There's a success story here, but he doesn't say which brand of 720mah battery he chose.

Finally, if you'd care to roll the dice on eBay, 750mah mini batteries pop up there occasionally. That's the highest rated capacity I've seen, but caveat emptor and all.
posted by disarray at 3:59 AM on December 20, 2005