How to choose a battery for a mobile phone

When choosing a battery for a mobile phone, it is first of all necessary to determine its compatibility with the device.

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Main selection criteria
How to choose an external battery for your phone
The best phone battery manufacturers

How to choose a battery for a mobile phone: what to look for

The main criteria for choosing a mobile phone battery are:

Compatible with your phone;
Capacity.
Also worth considering that the battery may be internal and external. Batteries of the latter type, the so-called "power banks", are not installed in the phone case and are intended to be used as a portable charging device.
Battery manufacturer is also important.

Main selection criteria

The most important parameters of choice are type, compatibility and capacity.

Battery type

By type of batteries differ in internal and external (portable).

Internal batteries

internal batteries

The internal battery is a vital functional element of the phone. It is from it that all the other circuits feed on electricity. In fact, no mobile phone can work without an installed internal battery.

Internal batteries are always supplied with the mobile phone. They are characterized by a long operational period, so that they will have to be changed either in case of damage (for example, due to drowning or swelling), or after considerable wear.

"Symptoms" that signal the need to replace the internal battery are:

His swelling or any other spontaneous deformation;
Fast discharge of the phone at an unexpectedly fast or, on the contrary, slow charge;
The appearance of heat in normal use.

Of course, a long operational period is achieved only with proper handling of the phone - it does not remain near the heating elements, under direct sunlight, is not used in conditions of extremely low temperature or very high humidity.

Internal batteries usually do not have cross-compatibility. That is, they are designed for use with one specific phone. Moreover, this "specialization" is achieved as a constructional one - the battery has the dimensions, shape and location of the contacts, allowing it to be installed only in the cradle of a specific model; and at the electrical level - the current and voltage of the battery are designed for use only in compatible electronics.

As a result, trying to install a battery from one phone into the lodgement of another is not worth it - even if it is possible structurally, it’s not a fact that it will not “kill” the delicate electronics inside the device.

Portable batteries

Portable batteries (external, "power banks") are not an alternative to internal. The phone can not work only from a similar battery.Portable batteries are designed for "emergency" recharging of the device under the conditions of the inaccessibility of the ordinary household network - on long trips, hiking trips or when banal disconnection of electricity.

The principle of operation of an external battery is quite simple. First, it charges itself, then it saves energy for some time (usually quite long, on the order of several weeks), and when the phone is connected it recharges it.

Compatibility

As mentioned above, various mobile phone manufacturers make devices with different forms of lodgements for batteries and the current-voltage characteristics of batteries. Therefore, it is very important to determine compatibility.

Usually it is indicated directly on the packaging of the battery. In its technical characteristics is a list of devices to which it fits.

An alternative option is to search the battery for a specific model of the battery itself. It can be found on the sticker on this very battery.

Battery capacity

From battery capacity depends on the battery life of the device. Therefore, the higher it is, the better. But it is worth remembering that very large capacity batteries usually differ in quite large sizes and therefore may simply not fit under the back cover of the device.

It is desirable that the capacity of the new battery matches the capacity of the replaced one or slightly exceeded it. Then ensure maximum compatibility.

How to choose an external battery for your phone

An external battery, also known as a portable charger, is designed to restore energy in the internal battery of a smartphone. Therefore, the main criterion for selection is the capacity of this device. Additionally, you can also pay attention to the output current and housing material.

External battery capacity

The higher the capacity of the external battery, the more times it will be able to charge the phone. However, the feature of mobile phones is that they are initially equipped with quite “small” internal batteries. On average, their capacity is about 1000-1500 mAh.

Therefore, they really do not need a really big external battery. Even a budget model of 5000 mAh will be enough for 2-3 recharges. Acquire more "roomy" battery only makes sense if long trips are planned.

It is worth remembering that the battery capacity indicated on its package differs slightly from the actual one. This is due to a number of factors, including self-discharge, transmission loss and other purely physical phenomena. Therefore, an external battery rated for 5000 mAh is enough for 2 recharging the phone, the capacity of the built-in battery of which is 1500 mAh.

For urban use and short trips will be enough battery, designed for 5000 mAh. For long journeys, it is advisable to purchase models for 10,000 mAh or more.

Charging current

Charging current determines the speed of charging the phone. The higher it is, the faster the internal battery of the device will restore its supply.

But there are also a few “buts” here. Older mobile phones are not designed for high charging current - when powered more than 1 And they can simply burn. In addition, such a high current can damage the internal battery.

Therefore, for use with mobile phones, it is advisable to purchase external batteries designed for 1 A or even less. Of course, in this case, a full charge will take quite a long time (up to several hours), but the risk of damage will be minimal.

New mobile phones (for example, released by Nokia in 2016-2017) can operate with high charging currents. For them, you can purchase a power bank rated for 2.1 A.

Body material

Some practical and operational properties of a power bank depend on the material of the case.Typically, such devices are made in metal or plastic.

Plastic is a cheap and quite practical material. However, it is not resistant to scratching and may be damaged if dropped. Therefore, plastic power banks are desirable to use very carefully.
Metal is more expensive, but also more stable. It does not scratch and does not crack. The disadvantage of metal is its thermal properties. It quickly freezes and leads to an intense self-discharge of the built-in batteries in the cold. Therefore, metal external batteries are not very suitable for use in low temperature conditions.