Droid 4 battery solutions???

[Bugsy]

I looked at the Droid 4 today and I'm really bummed that the battery isn't removeable! Verizon always finds a way to cripple an otherwise decent phone! This is the main reason I've stayed away from the iPhone up to now.

We all know that batteries don't last forever, usually they start to degrade after 600 to 800 charges with 1000 to 1500 charge cycles being the most you'll get. With the built in battery I'm thinking that this phone should last about a year with the constant abuse of charging that it'll be subjected to. So what do we do about the second year of the 2 year contract Verizon wants us to commit to?

So my question is, has anyone peeled the sticker back to expose the battery? How non-removeable is it really? Can it be unsoldered and replaced? Is it even soldered in? Do you think the four little solder tits under the back cover will allow for an extra battery? Are they even for power at all? I couldn't poke and prod the phone the way I wanted to with the sales rep over my shoulder... Her answer when I asked what do I do when the battery needs to be replaced was just have it fixed under warranty. Not sure how long the warranty is, and I didn't get to ask. Probably only a year.....wonder what the deductible is?

Any proud new owners who can help answer some of these questions?

Thanks!

 

[Arodnum1]

Look up the razr, it should be exactly the same, and batteries can definitely last longer than 1500 cycles if properly cared for

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[Bugsy]

It'll be very hard to properly care for the battery with a non-removeable battery! By "proper care" I presume you mean fully discharge the battery before charging it up, and then charging it fully?? This is the right way to treat a battery, and I try to do that with my OG Droid batteries -- and I can do so because I have several spare batteries to swap out should one go dead. Without that ability, I'll have to take every opportunity I get to "top off" the charge on the Droid 4. This is totally the wrong way to treat a battery! I'm not at a desk most of the day nor am I in the car most of the day.

I like the RAZR Maxx battery, but I prefer a physical keyboard so that phone is out. Probably Verizon will release the Droid 4 Maxx in a couple of months. Maybe that's the answer....

 

[Jungle King 76]

Actually, that is not the proper way to handle the battery. You should not let it drain all the way and fully charge all the time. Small quick charges periodically are best. And you should not let them run low. These batteries are much like a car engine. You wouldn't drive your car until the tank ran out on purpose would you? No because it is not good for the engine. Same holds true for these batteries. I still have my original Droid 1 from over two years ago and have never replaced the battery. Also my Droid x is over a year and a half old and still running strong on original battery. If your battery is lasting one year, it is because you keep draining it and killing it.

To get the most of your battery you absolutely should be topping it off on a regular basis. In fact charging your battery when it drops to 75% will increase the life of the battery by double.
If you could consistently charge after only 10% discharge, the battery would last almost 10 times as long.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[dezymond]

Verizon did not design the phone, Motorola did. And if you had researched a bit on it before purchasing you would've known that the D4 has a non-removable battery like the Razr.

As for how long it'll last, it'll last you quite awhile I wouldn't worry too much about it. By the time that battery will be officially dead, your next upgrade should be available. Also do as what Jungle King says, it's better for your battery.

 

[kptphalkon]

If your battery is lasting one year, it is because you keep draining it and killing it.

To get the most of your battery you absolutely should be topping it off on a regular basis. In fact charging your battery when it drops to 75% will increase the life of the battery by double.
If you could consistently charge after only 10% discharge, the battery would last almost 10 times as long.

Excellent info!

Now let's all wait two weeks and be flabberghasted when Moto drops a Droid 4 maxx on us

[FONT SIZE=1]I can see the commercials now...[/FONT]

 

[Bugsy]

Verizon did not design the phone, Motorola did. And if you had researched a bit on it before purchasing you would've known that the D4 has a non-removable battery like the Razr.

As for how long it'll last, it'll last you quite awhile I wouldn't worry too much about it. By the time that battery will be officially dead, your next upgrade should be available. Also do as what Jungle King says, it's better for your battery.

If YOU had read MY post, you'd realize that I didn't yet purchase a Droid 4... And you'd also realize my point that with the 2-year contracts Verizon now makes us sign, the chance of this battery lasting as long as the contract is nearly nil. I've used batteries on my OG Droid until they had nothing left to give and I know what I'm talking about. I've got three batteries now - one in the phone and 2 spare. The original battery is only good for at best a couple of hours before its dead. This is what my concern is with the non-removable battery of the D4. Hopefully though the LiPo batteries they're using in the D4 might last a bit longer than the previous versions...

And obviously, I know Verizon doesn't make the phones, but you know damn well they have a HUGE say in how Motorola is making them.

 

[Bugsy]

Actually, that is not the proper way to handle the battery. You should not let it drain all the way and fully charge all the time. Small quick charges periodically are best. And you should not let them run low. These batteries are much like a car engine. You wouldn't drive your car until the tank ran out on purpose would you? No because it is not good for the engine. Same holds true for these batteries. I still have my original Droid 1 from over two years ago and have never replaced the battery. Also my Droid x is over a year and a half old and still running strong on original battery. If your battery is lasting one year, it is because you keep draining it and killing it.

To get the most of your battery you absolutely should be topping it off on a regular basis. In fact charging your battery when it drops to 75% will increase the life of the battery by double.
If you could consistently charge after only 10% discharge, the battery would last almost 10 times as long.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

So by your logic, if I left my OG Droid plugged in all the time, the battery would last forever? I have a phone like that, but it's called a landline!

Actually running out of gas in a car is nothing like draining a LiPo battery. Running out of gas has no ill effects on a vehicle, other than being an inconvenience. The car doesn't know or care how much fuel is in the tank, only that it has fuel to burn in the engine. When it runs out, the engine stops. Fill the tank and it'll run just as long the 100,000th time you drain the tank as the first time. Rechargable batteries are actually small chemical plants that manufacture electricity as the chemical reaction is occurring inside the battery. Each time the battery is charged the reaction is reversed, thought it's never completely brought back to it's original state. Eventually, the battery is consumed and there is not enough usable material left inside to complete the chemical reation and hence, the battery is unable to take a charge or produce electricity. This is a very simplistic explanation but it's accurate. If you want to learn more, read this: How do rechargeable (that is, zinc-alkaline or nickel-cadmium) batteries work and what makes the reactions reversible in some batteries, but not in others? : Scientific American or Rechargeable battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rechargables are still affected by poor charging techniques, though they're much better now than in the days of NiCads and NiMH batteries. They still develop a "memory" and reduced capacity if not properly cycled from time to time.

And congrats on your OG Droid battery lasting so long! Mine still works, but only for an hour or two at best with any usage on it at all. That's why I have spare batteries... I usually drain my phone down to 20 - 30% charge twice a day from use. I don't have the luxury of being at a desk or in a car for prolonged periods of time to constantly plug the phone in so I carry spares.

 

[zomnomnombie]

The lifespan of the battery would probably be sufficient to outlast the contract in most cases. (Heavy abuse: full discharges/excessive charging being the exception)

If not the battery is like the RAZR if I'm not mistaken in that while it is non-removable; it IS replaceable albeit not easily.

Sent from my R2 unit using DroidForums

 

[Bugsy]

Excellent info!

Now let's all wait two weeks and be flabberghasted when Moto drops a Droid 4 maxx on us

[FONT SIZE=1]I can see the commercials now...[/FONT]

I would not be surprised at all if in a month or two they release a Droid 4 Maxx....

 

[Bugsy]

The lifespan of the battery would probably be sufficient to outlast the contract in most cases. (Heavy abuse: full discharges/excessive charging being the exception)

If not the battery is like the RAZR if I'm not mistaken in that while it is non-removable; it IS replaceable albeit not easily.

Sent from my R2 unit using DroidForums

That's what I was thinking. Doing some digging on the internet, I found a few videos that show the RAZR battery being removed. So hopefully there'll be some replacement batteries out there in the future. Unfortunately, I've found that my OG Droid battery didn't outlast my contract... Not a big deal since it can be easily swapped. If the same thing happens to the D4 in a year or year n a half, what are the options? That's what I was hoping to learn....

Explain heavy abuse? Do you mean using the phone frequently and then charging it? That's what it's intended for... According to Jungle King, there is no such thing as excessive charging.. You probably mean topping the charge off frequently during the day. Which is the whole reason for this post and my dismay at the non-removeable battery.....

 

[Jungle King 76]

Actually, that is not the proper way to handle the battery. You should not let it drain all the way and fully charge all the time. Small quick charges periodically are best. And you should not let them run low. These batteries are much like a car engine. You wouldn't drive your car until the tank ran out on purpose would you? No because it is not good for the engine. Same holds true for these batteries. I still have my original Droid 1 from over two years ago and have never replaced the battery. Also my Droid x is over a year and a half old and still running strong on original battery. If your battery is lasting one year, it is because you keep draining it and killing it.

To get the most of your battery you absolutely should be topping it off on a regular basis. In fact charging your battery when it drops to 75% will increase the life of the battery by double.
If you could consistently charge after only 10% discharge, the battery would last almost 10 times as long.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

So by your logic, if I left my OG Droid plugged in all the time, the battery would last forever? I have a phone like that, but it's called a landline!

Actually running out of gas in a car is nothing like draining a LiPo battery. Running out of gas has no ill effects on a vehicle, other than being an inconvenience. The car doesn't know or care how much fuel is in the tank, only that it has fuel to burn in the engine. When it runs out, the engine stops. Fill the tank and it'll run just as long the 100,000th time you drain the tank as the first time. Rechargable batteries are actually small chemical plants that manufacture electricity as the chemical reaction is occurring inside the battery. Each time the battery is charged the reaction is reversed, thought it's never completely brought back to it's original state. Eventually, the battery is consumed and there is not enough usable material left inside to complete the chemical reation and hence, the battery is unable to take a charge or produce electricity. This is a very simplistic explanation but it's accurate. If you want to learn more, read this: How do rechargeable (that is, zinc-alkaline or nickel-cadmium) batteries work and what makes the reactions reversible in some batteries, but not in others? : Scientific American or Rechargeable battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rechargables are still affected by poor charging techniques, though they're much better now than in the days of NiCads and NiMH batteries. They still develop a "memory" and reduced capacity if not properly cycled from time to time.

And congrats on your OG Droid battery lasting so long! Mine still works, but only for an hour or two at best with any usage on it at all. That's why I have spare batteries... I usually drain my phone down to 20 - 30% charge twice a day from use. I don't have the luxury of being at a desk or in a car for prolonged periods of time to constantly plug the phone in so I carry spares.

Wow. Do your homework. Ask any mechanic if running out of gas is good for the car engine? It is more than an inconvenience.

And I never said leave out plugged in. I simply stated that periodic recharge is better than full drain and charge.

And thanks for the completely irrelevant links that have nothing to do with cell phone batteries. So... if YOU want to learn more, do a Google search on proper care of lithium ion batteries and how to get the most out of them.

Here, I will make it easy for you..

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

Sent from my DROID RAZR using DroidForums

 

[TheOldFart]

Li-Ion batteries are happiest when their charge is between 20% and 80%, ideally at 40%. They lose a greater amount of their life when at a high charge or a low charge. It is not reasonable to only charge the battery up to only 80%, but it is very reasonable to not allow it to discharge to below 20%. If you are still carrying a brick phone then the idea of full discharges is still valid. If your phone is less than 10 years old then read the battery university article.

 

[Htown315]

totally off topic but I can't resist... running a car out of gas does have negative effects. First, from the point the car starts to sputter to the point it dies it is running very lean..not good(Google effects of leaning out an engine). Second(most cars), you are sucking up the sediment from the bottom of your tank thus clogging your fuel filter prematurely and possibly(not as likely) clogging injectors..Back on topic...no one has tested these new devices for 2 years so it will be interesting to see how long the new motos last and if vzw will actually honor a battery swap under warranty at 1+ years. Fwiw I used my stock OG battery for 18months before retiring the phone and battery is still OK.

 

[Bugsy]

totally off topic but I can't resist... running a car out of gas does have negative effects. First, from the point the car starts to sputter to the point it dies it is running very lean..not good(Google effects of leaning out an engine). Second(most cars), you are sucking up the sediment from the bottom of your tank thus clogging your fuel filter prematurely and possibly(not as likely) clogging injectors..Back on topic...no one has tested these new devices for 2 years so it will be interesting to see how long the new motos last and if vzw will actually honor a battery swap under warranty at 1+ years. Fwiw I used my stock OG battery for 18months before retiring the phone and battery is still OK.

Now I can't resist -- I agree with you on the lean condition, however, with fuel injected engines (the past 20-25 years) if there's not enough fuel pressure, the computer will shut the engine off before it gets to the lean condition. Perhaps on a carbureted engine it might run lean for a moment or two, but hardly enough to do any damage. But this is really off the point as a fuel burning engine isn't like a rechargeable battery at all -- the fuel is burned, exhaust is expelled, and power is produced. A battery converts a chemical reaction to energy during discharge, and then during charging energy is added causing the chemical to be reversed returning the battery to its original state. There's no capturing of the exhaust and converting it back to fuel in the tank.

Also, where do you think the fuel pick-up in the tank is? It's at the bottom of course! So ALL fuel in the tank is drawn out from the bottom first... There really shouldn't be much (or any) sediment in the tank at all because the fuel was filtered at the gas pump, it's filtered again in the tank at the fuel pickup and then again by the fuel filter.

Back on topic, will VZ replace a phone under warranty that is showing signs of diminished capacity and not total battery failure? I doubt they will, but I just don't know. That was the direction I was going with this post in the first place before it got way off topic.