[flyingkytez]

How's your stock battery doing? I'm rotating 5 batteries so my battery experience has been awesome. Average 4-5.5 hours SOT, which is pretty good to me, back in the day I'd get 2-3 SOT or less from other phones.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc-HKv2Hhy4/

Apple is apparently slowing down phones on purpose, especially with phones that have aged batteries. A friend of mines has an iPhone that isn't all that old and complained about the update that slowed down the phone. Let's hope LG never does that to their customers!

[Niv77]

depends on what I do.. without net, say just watching downloaded movie and basic stuff I can get 4.5 SOT.
with net amd browsing 4hours SOT at least.
with heavy gaming with net hmm aroun 3.5 hours.

still using the same batt that came with in. rarely swaps batt.

how do you get 5.5 and what did you do with that 5.5?

thanks

[recDNA]

How's your stock battery doing? I'm rotating 5 batteries so my battery experience has been awesome. Average 4-5.5 hours SOT, which is pretty good to me, back in the day I'd get 2-3 SOT or less from other phones.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc-HKv2Hhy4/

Apple is apparently slowing down phones on purpose, especially with phones that have aged batteries. A friend of mines has an iPhone that isn't all that old and complained about the update that slowed down the phone. Let's hope LG never does that to their customers!

Replaced my stock battery months ago. It failed the spin test. This means there is a slight bulge in the middle allowing the battery to spin easily on a flat, surface. Try that test on any phone lacking a removable battery!

I tried ebay batteries but they were no good. Bought a battery from VZW. it was good but no longer holds a charge as well. Tried to buy another from VZW but they don't carry them any more. Tried another ebay battery but no good. Came with dents in it. Finally bought one directly from LG. It's the one I'm using now. None as good as original

[Niv77]

Replaced my stock battery months ago. It failed the spin test. This means there is a slight bulge in the middle allowing the battery to spin easily on a flat, surface. Try that test on any phone lacking a removable battery!

I tried ebay batteries but they were no good. Bought a battery from VZW. it was good but no longer holds a charge as well. Tried to buy another from VZW but they don't carry them any more. Tried another ebay battery but no good. Came with dents in it. Finally bought one directly from LG. It's the one I'm using now. None as good as original

How did you get that bulge? Overcharging?

[recDNA]

How did you get that bulge? Overcharging?

Nope. It happens to many Li Ion batteries eventually. I shut my phone off at night I don't leave it on the charger. Even if you do the algorithm that controls charging should drop to a tiny trickle at 100%.

I bet half of the early adopters using original batteries would find their battery fails the spin test. Although eventually the bulge can grow really noticeable my battery looked fine. I only tested it because it wasn't holding a charge as well as it used to.

I do confess to charging to 100% to get 3 hrs screen time. I've never had any phone produce more than 3.5 hours screen time. I like to stream Netflix so 3 hrs is pretty good.

[Niv77]

Nope. It happens to many Li Ion batteries eventually. I shut my phone off at night I don't leave it on the charger. Even if you do the algorithm that controls charging should drop to a tiny trickle at 100%.

I bet half of the early adopters using original batteries would find their battery fails the spin test. Although eventually the bulge can grow really noticeable my battery looked fine. I only tested it because it wasn't holding a charge as well as it used to.

I do confess to charging to 100% to get 3 hrs screen time. I've never had any phone produce more than 3.5 hours screen time. I like to stream Netflix so 3 hrs is pretty good.

I have tried the spin test on my 1 year old batt, the batt that came with it, no bulge at all and won't spin..
However, same as yours, this batt decreases a lit faster than the spare batt that I rarely use..

[Mooncatt]

My battery is definitely wearing down. Accubattery claims it's at an estimated 2,700mAh capacity now. I'm not sure how accurate that estimate is, but sounds about right. It's not so bad that replacement is immanent, but it is on my wishlist.

[LuvMusic]

No data but my battery life seems to be dropping off a bit.....not enough to cause a problem but noticeable. Not going to replace the battery though, just waiting for a price drop on the V30 and then I will upgrade,

[recDNA]

My battery is definitely wearing down. Accubattery claims it's at an estimated 2,700mAh capacity now. I'm not sure how accurate that estimate is, but sounds about right. It's not so bad that replacement is immanent, but it is on my wishlist.

I'd urge everyone to purchase a spare while genuine LG replacement batteries exist. IMO the best deal is for the external LG charger with genuine LG battery. The charger is slow but it works but best of all is the slim travel case that comes with the spare battery. Perfect for pocket carry. I quickly mastered changing batteries right at my table at the coffee shop. iPhone devotees often look amazed. Even many young Sammy owners have never changed a battery and of course they no longer can.

Some have had luck buying "genuine LG batteries" on ebay for under $20. Every one I tried was rubbish.

[Mooncatt]

I'd urge everyone to purchase a spare while genuine LG replacement batteries exist. IMO the best deal is for the external LG charger with genuine LG battery. The charger is slow but it works but best of all is the slim travel case that comes with the spare battery. Perfect for pocket carry. I quickly mastered changing batteries right at my table at the coffee shop. iPhone devotees often look amazed. Even many young Sammy owners have never changed a battery and of course they no longer can.

Some have had luck buying "genuine LG batteries" on ebay for under $20. Every one I tried was rubbish.

I'm looking at getting an extended battery due to some changes in my usage that would make swapping batteries or using a top off charge not very feasible. I also have a feeling third party batteries will remain in production longer than the OEM batteries.

Though now that you mention it, I could see keeping mine as a spare to swap around in public like some sort of parlor trick. Lol

[flyingkytez]

depends on what I do.. without net, say just watching downloaded movie and basic stuff I can get 4.5 SOT.
with net amd browsing 4hours SOT at least.
with heavy gaming with net hmm aroun 3.5 hours.

still using the same batt that came with in. rarely swaps batt.

how do you get 5.5 and what did you do with that 5.5?

thanks

Really just turning off WiFi and 4G data when not using, and using lower brightness. I also have apps like Forze Doze and Greenify that greatly increase standby time. Also turning off sync when not using it and disabling useless apps and blocking notification and data access to some apps, takes some time to tweak but it's worth it.

Turning on battery saver mode and data saver will guarantee a longer SOT by reducing performance, lowering brightness and then disabling apps from accessing data.

[flyingkytez]

I'm looking at getting an extended battery due to some changes in my usage that would make swapping batteries or using a top off charge not very feasible. I also have a feeling third party batteries will remain in production longer than the OEM batteries.

Though now that you mention it, I could see keeping mine as a spare to swap around in public like some sort of parlor trick. Lol

People will look at you funny swapping batteries but in actuality they are jealous they can't do that!

[flyingkytez]

I'd urge everyone to purchase a spare while genuine LG replacement batteries exist. IMO the best deal is for the external LG charger with genuine LG battery. The charger is slow but it works but best of all is the slim travel case that comes with the spare battery. Perfect for pocket carry. I quickly mastered changing batteries right at my table at the coffee shop. iPhone devotees often look amazed. Even many young Sammy owners have never changed a battery and of course they no longer can.

Some have had luck buying "genuine LG batteries" on ebay for under $20. Every one I tried was rubbish.

I was lucky to find a few genuine batteries from legit liquidators. It's really a gamble sometimes because they don't even know if it's real or not, but I was lucky to get authentic and new batteries. If you ever do get a fake battery, you can get a refund immediately through eBay guarantee.

BTW fake batteries fit very tight and snug, and they also charge slower I think, and the printing looks more faded than original.

[flyingkytez]

My battery is definitely wearing down. Accubattery claims it's at an estimated 2,700mAh capacity now. I'm not sure how accurate that estimate is, but sounds about right. It's not so bad that replacement is immanent, but it is on my wishlist.

Good thing it's replaceable. Sucks that Apple is deliberately slowing down customers phones with weaker batteries to "help save battery".

[flyingkytez]

Replaced my stock battery months ago. It failed the spin test. This means there is a slight bulge in the middle allowing the battery to spin easily on a flat, surface. Try that test on any phone lacking a removable battery!

I tried ebay batteries but they were no good. Bought a battery from VZW. it was good but no longer holds a charge as well. Tried to buy another from VZW but they don't carry them any more. Tried another ebay battery but no good. Came with dents in it. Finally bought one directly from LG. It's the one I'm using now. None as good as original

Weird how your battery started to bulge so soon, typically it takes at least 2 years or longer for that to happen, or if you charge or use your phone abnormally.

[recDNA]

People will look at you funny swapping batteries but in actuality they are jealous they can't do that!

It's quicker than connecting to a brick sized external battery not to mention the external power sources require carrying a cable. The V20 battery in its case is very comfortable and safe to carry. Don't ever carry a spare battery without a case. Short circuit when coins touch it could lead to hot pants! Perfectly safe in the hard plastic case that comes with the external charger.

[recDNA]

Weird how your battery started to bulge so soon, typically it takes at least 2 years or longer for that to happen, or if you charge or use your phone abnormally.

Not so weird. Nobody checks. It is true I am a very heavy user. I am never on battery nor data saver and phone often gets to 100-105 degrees F.

[tickerguy]

I'd urge everyone to purchase a spare while genuine LG replacement batteries exist. IMO the best deal is for the external LG charger with genuine LG battery. The charger is slow but it works but best of all is the slim travel case that comes with the spare battery. Perfect for pocket carry. I quickly mastered changing batteries right at my table at the coffee shop. iPhone devotees often look amazed. Even many young Sammy owners have never changed a battery and of course they no longer can.

Some have had luck buying "genuine LG batteries" on ebay for under $20. Every one I tried was rubbish.

The problem with even legit "OEM" batteries is that many sold on the secondary market are pulls or (almost as bad) horribly-old stock.

Lithium chemistry batteries degrade with *time* irrespective of use. They also degrade with each cycle. Between the two a "pull" is likely to be either worthless or become so within a few months.

Unfortunately you don't know what you're getting with aftermarket ones either. Some of THOSE are pulls with a different label slapped on them! If they're actual fresh cells then they are usually ok, provided the temperature sensor in them is hooked up and is the correct thermistor so the phone's temp sense circuity works right. But you never know with all the chineesium junk on Spamazon and FleaBay.

The same situation exists in the digital camera world; the LP-E6 Canon batteries are often relabeled pulls and are flat-out garbage. Wasabi makes packs on their own and they've all been good in my experience. They still wear out, but you get a couple of years out of them. Unfortunately Canon got wise to it and in the newer cameras changed the chip they use and started going after third-party manufacturers, so with their newer cameras you can't get third party batteries that will read charge state any more.

It would be nice if all the fraudsters were policied off FleaBay and Spamazon -- people selling pulls without labeling them as USED are committing fraud, but nobody would buy a USED battery for obvious reasons (why is it "used" and for sale unless it's half-dead or worse!) ;-)

[recDNA]

Well you can buy direct from LG. I ended up doing that. It's expensive but when you consider I have purchased 3 different batteries from different suppliers on Ebay and every one of them sucked it's easier if not thriftier to buy from LG. Once those are gone we're screwed.

[Mooncatt]

How can you tell if your battery is going bad? This is how.

My phone was up and running the entire time, so I was confused at first. Then it hit me: voltage sag.

(The numbers on the left are voltage, listed in mV)

When a load is put on a battery, it's natural for the voltage to drop a little. How much it drops can help determine the health of the battery. A healthy battery will not sag very much. A worn out battery will sag quite a bit. If it's bad enough, this sag can go below the minimum voltage required to run your phone and that's why you'll start to see it shut off when the gauge reads well above 0%.

When I compared these voltage drops to the amperage history, it was consistent. Every time the current spiked due to me doing something on the phone, my voltage tanked. I suspect the drops were so rapid that it confused the phone's battery gauge, thus erroring out with a blank reading like you see in the first screenshot.

[flyingkytez]

Well you can buy direct from LG. I ended up doing that. It's expensive but when you consider I have purchased 3 different batteries from different suppliers on Ebay and every one of them sucked it's easier if not thriftier to buy from LG. Once those are gone we're screwed.

Amazon has the legit battery kit.

[flyingkytez]

It's quicker than connecting to a brick sized external battery not to mention the external power sources require carrying a cable. The V20 battery in its case is very comfortable and safe to carry. Don't ever carry a spare battery without a case. Short circuit when coins touch it could lead to hot pants! Perfectly safe in the hard plastic case that comes with the external charger.

Yeah I always carry it in the plastic case it came with. I can't find where else to buy extra cases though.

[recDNA]

Amazon has the legit battery kit.

The kit with charger is great but I don't need another charger. As far as buying what is purported to be OEM battery from anyone on Amazon not called LGUSA I don't trust it is real.

[ansa82]

my batteries arent great. I no longer get a 15% low battery warning, it just goes from 20% to dead. figured I would purchase a new battery after Christmas

[tickerguy]

Yeah, the proper way to charge a lithium-chemsitry battery is pretty-simple, but NOBODY does it (including LG).

It's this:

1. Charge at up to 1C (that is, if you have a 3,300mah battery, 3.3 Amps) until the cell voltage reaches 4.2V. This is 85% of capacity, approximately. From "empty" this will require about 45 minutes, assuming you can source sufficient current and the battery doesn't get hot.

2. Hold the charge voltage at 4.2V. Charging current will taper; when it gets to .03 C (e.g. ~100ma) the cell is full. This will require about an additional *two hours*.

A cell that exhibits more than a roughly ~20F rise in temperature during charging *before* its terminal voltage reaches 4.2V is compromised and should be replaced. The device *should* display a warning if that happens (note that no existing cellphone does from LG or anyone else.)

If the device is on during charging then you have additional problems determining the actual rate of charge because you must accurately measure the drain of the device and subtract it from the charge current. You must also account for cell heating from the device and charging circuits when monitoring the cell temperature if you are attempting to alert on a defective battery due to high resistance.

A phone company that actually cared about its customer experience would offer the following settings when it comes to batteries:

In ALL cases -- any cell below 3V is charged at 0.1C (~300ma) until the voltage reaches 3V. This should NOT happen (such a battery has been "overdischarged") but it can, and the only safe alternative to the low-rate initial charge in this case is to declare such a battery "dead" and refuse to charge it at all.

1. "Preserve battery life" (default): Charges to 4.2V at all available current levels up to 1C, then shuts off. No saturation charge; if left plugged in will hold voltage at 4.0V, assuming that temperature remains within limits. This will result in a battery charge to 85% very rapidly (assuming it doesn't get hot), but essentially no charge at all beyond that point. If you select this you'll more than *double* battery cycle life over what cell companies do to you now.

2. "Fully charge consistent with good battery life": Charges to 4.2V at all available current levels to 1C, then holds at 4.2V until the charge current drops to 0.03C and terminates. If left plugged in will re-start when voltage drops to 4.0V. This cycle is a decent compromise, will charge to 85% from effective 0% in an hour but requires ~2-3 hours to reach full charge. This will result in roughly a 50% improvement in battery cycle life over what you experience now.

3. "Fully charge and hold": Displays a warning about compromising cell life if selected. Charges to 4.3V before tapering. Far more likely to run into heat-limiting during the charge; will charge to 85% in an hour but "finish" in another 20 minutes or so. Holds the cell at 4.2V if left on charge. This is pretty-much the protocol that cell companies use now, and it does fairly severe damage to cells if frequently charged fully (resulting in about a one-year service life instead of 2-3.) This is what you get now.

If the unit is OFF during charging then #1 is used with the modification that no float current is applied at all, nor will charge restart, until cell voltage drops to under 3.6V.

LG appears to add a twist to #3 in that it immediately current-limits the charge to about 700ma if the screen is on. This is arguably a good practice as it limits some of the damage that #3 does especially in a car where you have the phone connected to power and are using it for Nav; most phones will immediately run the battery up to 100% under fast-charge in those conditions, limited only by heating, and that's really, really rough on battery life. It also appears LG cuts off the charge short of the 100% level (at about 95%) which is also good. But they could do better if they implemented the above.

If manufacturers had any interest in actually providing you with all the cell life you bought originally they'd allow you to select #1 and maybe default to #2 . As it stands they all do #3 , some with a few twists. LG is one of the few I've seen that actually tries to mitigate *some* of the damage by limiting charge rate with the screen on and cutting it off a bit early if left plugged in.