Facts on Cell Phone Batteries

cell phone battery

Cell phone batteries come in four different types; Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride, Lithium Ion and Lithium Ion Polymer. Each battery also come in different sizes, with some batteries offering high quality standards than others.

Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) Warning

Nickel Cadmium is the oldest of cell phone batteries and is prone to a phenomenon known as "memory effect" in which a battery charged when not empty will only charge to the last known memory point. Memory effect can cause your battery to only partially charge.

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) Info

NiMH batteries are not prone to the same amount of memory effect found on NiCad batteries and they also run 30 to 40% longer. These batteries can also be charged to 50% of their battery strength in just 15 minutes. Unlike Cadmium, these batteries are also environmentally safe, being made with non-toxic materials.

Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Information

Offering up to 40% more memory capacity than NiMH batteries, Lithium Ion also offers a lighter weight and smaller size. Lithium-Ion batteries are found on newer cell phones and other digital devices. Over charging a Lithium Ion battery for more than 24 hours on a regular basis can damage the battery.

Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly) Facts

Lithium Polymer batteries are the most light weight of cell phone batteries and also the safest, you can drive a nail through this type of battery and it won't explode. Polymer batteries also offer up to 40% more battery strength than NiMH batteries and are not prone to memory effect. The newest cell phones tend to use this type of battery.

Battery Sizes

Cell phone batteries are measured in milliamps (mAh) and typical battery sizes for cell phones range from 400mAh to 1600mAh for the newest high tech Smartphones.

References

• Cellular Accessory: Battery Type Facts
• Pure Mobile: Types of Cell Phone Batteries