HTC Thunderbolt 1700mAh and 1800mAh Batteries

In regards to my post back in June, based on the extended batteries. I’m writing a follow up.

I’ve been using the “cheap” aftermarket batteries that you can buy on eBay on two HTC Thunderbolts and I haven’t run into any issues. I’m not noticing an increase OR decrease in battery life vs. the OEM battery.

I will say this though. Most batteries that are claiming to be extended, or have more mAh over the OEM battery are false. You can download a simple app from the market to tell you your battery’s mAh and my “extended 1700mAh” batteries are reading 1350mAh When I put in the extended battery it would read the full 2750mAh, so the apps do work. My guess is these “extended batteries” are just an original OEM mAh with a new sticker slapped on.

But I’m okay with the cheap red batteries from eBay. The seller I bought from had like 30,000+ feedback and I got two batteries and a wall charge for like $15 – $20!

With Juice Defender running in night mode while I’m sleeping, I can wake up with only a 4% – 10% drop in battery life.

If you’re looking to save money over buying an original OEM battery, I personally would say it’s safe to buy these cheaper batteries. Let’s face it, all the batteries are coming from China anyways. Look on your batteries. None of the original OEM ones are saying “Made in USA”.