Introduction
iFixit seems to be the place people turn to for answers. It might be worthwhile to post a test regarding the "Gold High Capacity Batteries". For this test Apple iPhone 5 batteries were used because they were needed for replacement work anyway and would not be wasted to be used for only this test.
The Batteries are offered on multiple outlets like Ebay.com, Amazon.com and various other online stores. The prices for those batteries are usually 50% higher than for a regular battery. That by itself would not be bad, if those batteries truly have higher capacity storage.
Tools
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Here is the side-by-side of a Gold High Capacity and a standard run-of-the-mill iPhone 5 battery
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Checking the weight for the Gold battery it was at 0.830oz
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The standard battery weight 0.848oz.
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Width of the Gold Battery is 32.01 mm vs. 31.5 mm for the standard battery
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Length of the Gold Battery is 91.72 mm vs. 90.30 mm for the standard battery
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Thickness of the Gold Battery is 3.86 mm vs. 4.04 mm for the standard battery.
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Expectation was that the Gold Battery would show difference in physical attributes that would be significant to its claimed increased capacity, which it did not
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Gold Battery is fully charged at 4.85 V on an K9201 Fast Battery Charger Activation Circuit Tester
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Standard battery is fully charged at 4.85 V on an K9201 Fast Battery Charger Activation Circuit Tester
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For this test a battery connector was simply soldered to a prototype board and wires were soldered to the positive and negative connectors on the board.
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The prototype board was then connected to the EBD Constant Current Electronic Load capacity tester. Shown here with the standard battery connected
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Same connection is made with the Gold Battery (test in progress)
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Here is the result for the standard battery
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Here is the result for the Gold Battery.
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Here is the synapse of the test results Standard Battery Title:EB Tester Software Mode:D-CC (Constant Current Discharging) 0.50A 2.90V Begin Volt:4.189V Cutoff Volt:2.904V Capacity:1353mAh Energy:4987mWh Avg Volt:3.69V Total time to reach the cutoff voltage of 2.9V was 2:42:44hours
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Gold battery. Title:EB Tester Software Mode:D-CC (Constant Current Discharging) 0.50A 2.90V Begin Volt:4.182V Cutoff Volt:2.904V Capacity:1376mAh Energy:4969mWh Avg Volt:3.61V Total time to reach the cutoff voltage of 2.9V was 2:45:33hours
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Looking at the results from this test it clearly shows the Gold battery has a capacity of only 1376mAH. This is 49% less than advertised on the battery as well as the websites where these batteries are sold.
This test showed that while the Gold High Capacity Battery did not have a higher capacity, it is not any worth than the standard battery. So it would be okay to purchase these batteries if the buyer would want a standard capacity replacement battery for a higher price.
'Buyers Beware!'
9 comments
I would add a second warning, from my experience/forced education with iPhone batteries about five years ago. The situation may have changed. But at the time, I was seeking affordable batteries for refurbished phones. So I tried eBay. And tried, and tried. Exactly one supplier (iFixit moderators, am I permitted to name the supplier?) provided full capacity (that is, full standard capacity) batteries that were accurately described. Every other supplier I tried was selling batteries that were far below standard capacity—some of these were “gold” batteries and some were standard.
So at least at that time, it was far from safe to buy gold batteries even if all one wanted was a standard capacity battery. The reality seems to be (or seemed to be) that these are batteries taken from used phones and sold as new regardless of their age, storage conditions, or existing capacity. That was the norm, not the exception.
If you’re going to be buying a lot of batteries, find a supplier you trust. I hear iFixit is good….
By the way, thank you for publishing this, and for doing such a thorough and careful job. I learned this the hard way.
It’s perhaps worth pointing out that maximum capacity of a battery of a given chemistry (e.g. lithium ion) is limited by size—hence your careful measurements in step 2. A battery with 50% more maximum capacity (i.e. capacity before degradation by aging and use) is going to be 50% bigger. You obviously know this, but it’s worth pointing out to people like me whose high school physics teachers are rolling over in their graves (or just rolling their eyes, depending on your age) when their former students are taken in by these things.
There are some new chemistries for lithium batteries, I understand, and I understand that they do have somewhat higher capacities. But that’s not what these gold batteries are. I even took the gold labels off some of the ones I bought and found the original labels beneath…
Maybe the author, or someone else could do a follow-up post? It seems that “high-capacity” batteries have proliferated, despite proof of false advertising. I even purchased a “high-capacity” battery off Amazon to repair my iPhone 6S Plus. The new battery seems like it holds a charge extremely well. I don’t remember the exact specs, approx. a 3500 mAh “high-capacity” battery vs. factory Apple battery ~2750-2850 mAh. Granted, I purchased my replacement battery before stumbling across this article & I really wonder whether any of the manufacturer’s are ACTUALLY providing accurate mAh ratings, currently. Some manufacturer’s are much more accurate with their product descriptions, build quality & capacity ratings. I just thought it would be a very interesting, and a very telling follow-up article to show whether or not manufacturer’s have changed any of their advertising practices since this original article. I challenge anyone out there to make this happen, and share with us their results, thanks!