Is my battery dying? Drops from 70% to 50% in less than 5 min

[goin_nil]

I've noticed over the last several days that when my droid X battery gets to 70% it will fall to 50% within 5 minutes, consistently. I have a battery level tracking app that shows this.

I have not let the battery die completely in a while (like people have recommended to do once or twice a month to reset the calibration). So I did that last night, then let it charge to 100% uninterrupted. But, I just hit 70% and it dropped to 50% in 5 min again.

This is the original battery from July 2010 (got phone on the launch day).

Any ideas of what could be wrong?

 

[Zman1001]

I do not know what is happening, but I would go on Ebay and type in the battery (BH5X I think) and buy a new one for less than $10. I had been using the original battery in mine (July 2010) as well, and I tried to do an upgrade to the BH6X battery but ran into problems due to incompatibility, so I just went to Ebay and bought a new OEM battery and I am back to getting the same I did when I bought it.

This way, it will keep you for another 6 (to upgrade) to 18 (assuming no upgrade) months of joyful Droid X use

 

[DrDiff]

Do you completely drain the battery and then charge? Or just top it off when it is low? A complete discharge/charge cycle will help. I try to do a complete discharge/charge cycle about every other week.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[jerseyboy357]

Could be the battery losing overall charge. Could be a software bug. You should not be charged to 100 then just "drop" to 70 or less unless the custom ROM you're running has a bug. Sounds like you are stock so you can eliminate that possibility. Also check your running applications.
Some apps have background services(especially 3rd party offered)that run continuous or intermittent services that could cause battery drain/interruptions. Get rid of that battery tracking app and use the supplied stock icon for a bit. See if anything changes

 

[gordol]

I've noticed over the last several days that when my droid X battery gets to 70% it will fall to 50% within 5 minutes, consistently. I have a battery level tracking app that shows this.

I have not let the battery die completely in a while (like people have recommended to do once or twice a month to reset the calibration). So I did that last night, then let it charge to 100% uninterrupted. But, I just hit 70% and it dropped to 50% in 5 min again.

To recalibrate the battery meter, you need to let it drain to the point where the phone completely shuts down due to lack of power, and then charge it to full. You may have to do this a couple times since you haven't yet done this at all.

If you're interested in a larger capacity battery, get the BH6X, and make sure it comes with a replacement cover as it's slightly larger than the stock BH5X. (I got mine from the AC store).

 

[Zman1001]

If you're interested in a larger capacity battery, get the BH6X, and make sure it comes with a replacement cover as it's slightly larger than the stock BH5X. (I got mine from the AC store).

How long ago did you get the BH6X battery?

Be careful with the BH6X battery. I tried two different batteries from AC store, and both of them had the incorrect serial number that was compatible with Bionic, but was not with X. If you do a search for the BH6X batter in this forum, you will see the information I found and how to make sure you get the correct battery.

I ended up returning both of these batteries, and just getting the BH5X on Ebay. Although I would have loved to have the extended battery, I did not want to try and find the exact battery.

And you are right. Make sure it comes with cover, as it is just wide enough that if you try to put the original cover on it, you will see the pressure on your screen.

 

[gordol]

How long ago did you get the BH6X battery?

At least six months, I don't know exactly. Only issue I had was that mine did not come with the cover, I had to buy one separately from another source.

 

[goin_nil]

UPDATE -

Thanks for everyone's advice.

I tried (unsuccessfully) to let the battery drain completely and then let it charge fully (while turned off) to allow the phone to recalibrate itself with the battery level. I tried this twice over the last week. But, it did not help. The battery level still dropped from 70% to 50%, it basically skips 60%, consistently.

So, I ordered two new batteries on amazon.com for less than $5 each. They just arrived today and I'm charging both of them. I ordered 2 wall charges too but they arrive tomorrow. They were also less than $5 each.
Battery - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU1540500
Wall charger - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CQ0IX2...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU1540500

When I took my old battery out and set it flat on the table, I noticed that it wobbled a little bit. Looking at it more closely it was slightly bulged in the middle on both sides. Bloated you might say.

So I think that this might explain my battery woes. Hopefully.

I got two "new" batteries for < $10 total so I'm happy about not having to spend what I expected > $40 just for one. The batteries are not exactly new (by time standards). One is dated 20110623 (June 23, 2011) and the other is from Oct 2010. But they look official and have the holographic strip to show genuine Motorola.

Funny thing is, two people I work with recently replaced the batteries in their Droid X because they had the same bulging battery issue. It's a very slight bulge and you can barely see it but lying it on the table you can tell it is there (rock it back and forth with your fingers) as compared to the new batteries which are completely flat (don't wobble at all when you press down on it).

I'll post back to let you know if things are different with the new batteries.

 

[gordol]

When I took my old battery out and set it flat on the table, I noticed that it wobbled a little bit. Looking at it more closely it was slightly bulged in the middle on both sides. Bloated you might say.

So I think that this might explain my battery woes. Hopefully.

I think you're right. That bulge almost certainly indicates a MAJOR problem with the battery. One of the cells may have had a minor explosion.