Do you trust 3rd party smartphone batteries?
June 24, 2010 5:34 PM   Subscribe

Do you trust third-party batteries for your cellphone? Specifically I'm thinking about picking up some spare batteries for the HTC Evo, but I've been a non-removable battery phone user for so long that I don't know if I really should stick to the manufacturer's branded batteries or can safely save some money and look elsewhere (like a Seidio, for example).
posted by extraface to Technology (8 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I would just check reviews on Amazon or whatever for the particular battery. Usually my attitude is "what's the worst that can happen?," but in the case of my Canon camera the horror stories scared me into going with the real, very expensive Canon batteries.
posted by drjimmy11 at 5:50 PM on June 24, 2010


Batteries are an obscene markup boon for manufacturers. I can't speak for HTC, but I'm pretty sure the reason Nokia's Maemo platform hasn't released the source code to power management has to do with lockout codes. They're like the printer ink of phones, right down to the authenticity holograms and encryption chips to protect the whole racket.

The manufacturers like to talk up horror stories of what might happen if you don't pay then ten times what it costs to make these things. Still, I've never bought an extra phone battery, 3rd party or OEM. Hopefully Mefites will come forward with encouraging anecdotal reports.
posted by pwnguin at 6:14 PM on June 24, 2010


Best answer: I've been using Seidio's extended capacity battery in my Palm Pre for about a year now. No complaints.
posted by aubilenon at 6:18 PM on June 24, 2010


Best answer: Do you trust third-party batteries for your cellphone?

I trust 3rd party batteries, but only from someone who has a reputation. The no-name ones from China that you see on eBay are sometimes optimistically rated. I'd go with a manufacturer / brand that has some reputation. As an example, I've read good things about Seidio.
posted by zippy at 7:00 PM on June 24, 2010 [1 favorite]


I've been using a Seidio battery for the past month in my HTC Incredible with no problems. Great price from Amazon, increased capacity over the stock battery. Now I'm just waiting to get a charging dock that can charge my other battery by itself, and I'll be set.
posted by shinynewnick at 7:26 PM on June 24, 2010


Best answer: I used a Seidio battery in a G1 with excellent results. It got 150% of the stock battery life, no problems whatsoever.
posted by signalnine at 10:15 PM on June 24, 2010


I've bought many, many batteries for many different phones/devices/cameras off of ebay, and have never had a problem. They are probably not recognizable brands (they were usually only a couple bucks apiece, in most cases). Most carry the same (or better) charge. The only two exceptions were a nintendo DS battery from Deal Extreme, and a battery I just got for my Droid (from Hong Kong). It works, but the charge doesn't last as long. I've never had a 3rd party battery harm my device, but YMMV.
posted by wennj at 5:38 AM on June 25, 2010


Best answer: My dad bought me a new battery for my cell phone from some obscure web source (not sure which, unfortunately) and it failed miserably (but didn't harm the phone). So they don't always work, but I'm sure if you find a reputable dealer and read reviews it's worth it.
posted by dormouse at 8:06 AM on June 25, 2010


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