Is the battery on a brand new phone supposed to come completely dead?

[redturn]

hi guys,

I just a got a new alcatel android phone from walmart.com. took it out of the box and tried to turn it on, it would not turn on. Plugged the charger into the phone and a light in upper corner turned on, nothing on the screen though. after about 10 mins a battery image appeared on the screen. it showed that it was empty.

I thought that phones and li-ion batteries in general, came with a partial charge. The one I got was completely drained. Not sure what this means for battery longevity.

anyone think I should exchange it??

thanks,

jaso

 

[Rukbat]

There's no "supposed to", but fully discharging a LiIon battery does shorten its life. I'd bring it back and ask for one that had at least 40% charge.

If they won't, complain, nicely, in writing, to Walmart's Custome Relation's office at 702 SW 8th St, Bentonville, AR 72716. Then let the battery charge until it tells you to remove the charger (which could take 24 hours or more). Then use it normally until it tells you to recharge it. Charge it (turned off) until it tells you to remove the charger. 3 complete cycles like that. It should give you back most of the battery's life.

Considering that the battery would probably cost you about $15 on Amazon, consider how much of a fuss it's worth making. One try at swapping it, certainly. One letter to the head office, sure. To me it wouldn't be worth going much further, except maybe to outline what Walmart sells, and how they handle the problem, on one of my blogs. I praise companies that handle things right, but I'll skin them alive if they won't acknowledge a mistake.

I'm perfect, but I allow for the fact that everyone else does make a mistake once in a while, so it's not th mistake that's the problem, it's what they do to correct it that matters. That's why I buy Seagate, SanDisk, Zagg, etc. Companies that go above and beyond to make sure that the customer gets what he pays for.

 

[funkylogik]

Yeah as Rukbat says, its bad to let a li-ion go completely flat. A phone turns itself off way before the battery is empty for this reason.
Unused batterys lose charge over time so im guessing thats why theyre stored and sold with a charge in them(?).
Its maybe been lying in a warehouse for a long time or something.
The fact that it took a charge probably means that its fine (a completely discharged li-ion can be hard to revive) but its up to you.. if after a couple of discharges you think its a bit damaged, take it up with Walmart :thumbup:

 

[redturn]

thx for the feedback. the battery is not replaceable on this phone, thats why im concerned about battery longevity. thanks,

jason

 

[Rukbat]

a completely discharged li-ion can be hard to revive

Impossible without the right shop, because it internally disconnects itself before reaching 0 charge, and it's like a fuse - one blown, always blown.

Simple reason for that - a fully discharged LiIon battery and a charger make a good bomb. Or if you're lucky or it's a small charger, just a VERY hot fire (which Sony knows all about, due to a defective batch of batteries they once got).

 

[funkylogik]

Lol