Do NOT buy replacement batteries for the S3 on eBay

[Johnny Cakes]

I think we all know that many, if not most, of the batteries being sold on eBay purporting to be OEM are actually counterfeit. But, hey, for the most part they work the same, are a fraction of the price, and keep the OEM look.

While that's great for most phones, it does NOT apply to the S3. Unlike some phones that have the NFC (Near Field Communications) antenna in the battery compartment door, the S3 has the NFC antenna actually in the battery itself. That's why it has four connectors instead of two.

Many (most?) of the batteries being sold on eBay as OEM are counterfeit and do NOT have the NFC antenna. That means that apps like Google Wallet and others that depend on the NFC antenna will NOT work.

It is interesting to look at the feedback scores of the eBay sellers. One I checked out had 15,000 positives, but recently got a string of negatives for the first time. Every single one of those negatives involved a S3 battery. Clearly, the counterfeiters aren't including the NFC chip yet.

If you don't need NFC, you are fine to go with the eBay battery, but if you need NFC, stay away!

 

[scooter1942]

I also read (I think on xda) that cheap batteries, be they oem counterfeit or 3rd party replacements, are made from expired materials and will therefore not last nearly as long as their more costly brethren. You get what you pay for I suppose...

 

[mrhomiec]

it's also been a general consensus that cheap batteries do not include NFC, as to make them cheaper.

i've always been wary of buying technology from ebay. especially if it comes anywhere from Asia.

i stick with Amazon, and only ones that offer free Prime shipping.

 

[ccnguyen]

This makes sense now.. I bought 3 batteries + base charger from Amazon for only $12. I couldnt seem to use the NFC feature with others but didnt know why. Thanks for the heads up. Only lost $12....

 

[Max_Headroom]

FFS the original ones are only

 

[dracozny]

yea avoid ebay especially from Asian sellers.

 

[JiveMiguel]

Good point. I've never had much luck with eBay batteries, even on older phones.

So, what is a trsutworthy place to get original OEM replacement batteries for the S3?

 

[Covart]

Good point. I've never had much luck with eBay batteries, even on older phones.

So, what is a trsutworthy place to get original OEM replacement batteries for the S3?

Samsung. That is where I bought mine. Even got them 50% off thanks to a Samsung discount code.emailed to me.

 

[Johnny Cakes]

Check out this eBay listing:this eBay listing. It's totally comical. Purportedly a 100% genuine, Samsung OEM battery, but from the picture it appears that the seller has glued a NFC antenna on the outside!!